An Historical Introduction to Western Constitutional Law

by R. C. van van Caenegem

Overview

Professor van Caenegem's new book addresses fundamental questions of constitutional organization—democracy versus autocracy, unitary versus federal organization, pluralism versus intolerance—by analyzing different models of constitutional government through a historical perspective. The approach is chronological: constitutionalism is explained as the result of many centuries of trial and error through a narrative that begins in the early Middle Ages and concludes with contemporary debates, focusing on Europe, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521476935
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/23/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Tribal kingship: from the fall of Rome to the end of the Merovingians; 3. The first Europe: the Carolingian empire; 4. Europe divided: the post-Carolingian era; 5. The foundation of the modern state; 6. The classic absolutism of the Ancient Regime; 7. The absolute state: no lasting model; 8. The bourgeois nation state; 9. The liberal model transformed or rejected; Epilogue; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...this well-written work provides a grand perspective and judicious abalysis of issues for its intended audience of undergraduates and law students, those 'who want to place their own constitution, which is part of their curriculum, in an international and historical perspective, but who lack the time and the languages to read the relevant national legal histories." Albert J. Schmidt, Law and History Review

From the Publisher