The Democratic Institutions of Continental Europe

1
The Democratic Institutions of Continental Europe

• Historical and Conceptual Perspectives

2
Visions, not pragmatism?

• Absolute monarchy
• Enlightened despotism
• Theocracy
• Republicanism
• Socialism social democracy, anarchism,
  syndicalism
• Fascism and racism

3
Score card

• How quickly easily is legislation passed?
• How coherent is legislation?
• How easy is it to get rid of a bad govt?
• How stable is the executive?
• How does the country as a whole relate to the
  leader?
• How limited is government?
• How responsive to change between elections?
• How transparent?

4
Institutions in the abstract

• Head of State
• Chief Executive
• Legislature
• Judiciary
• Parties
• Media
• Interest groups/ civil society

5
Key events influencing institutional patterns

• American Revolution and constitution
• French Revolution 1789
• 1848
• Paris Commune 1870
• 1st and 2nd World Wars

6
American Revolution

• Republicanism
• elective democracy
• Separation of powers
• federalism not of interest
• secularism
• rule of law and written Constitution

7
French Revolution

• Napoleon positive aspects efficient and
  effective Napoleonic Institutions in finance,
  local government, law and policing
• Negative dictatorship and interminable war.
  Destruction of the revolutionary goals liberty,
  equality and fraternity
• Powers of Assembly and Chief Executive a
  recurrent problem

8
1848

• Series of failed revolutions with a multiplicity
  of political issues, but perceived by many as
  having a strong working-class and socialist
  element
• socialism seen as utopian and antidemocratic.
  Bias introduced into institutions and their
  working to prevent victory of socialist parties

9
Paris Commune

• Warning to left-wingers that victory would
  provoke outside military intervention
• changed agenda for socialists and led to rise of
  social-democrats and democratic socialists,
  intent on using Parliamentary power for gradual
  redistribution of wealth
• Also led to clear appearance of Communist movement

10
First World War

• Emergence of Soviet Union and Communist
  International
• Destruction of German monarchy
• ditto Austro-Hungarian Empire
• new states, new constitutions, all weak
• Mussolini, Hitler
• How can democracy survive?

11
Second World War

• East Europe communist
• European Movement emerges how to stop war and
  strengthen democracy?
• Cold War, US presence
• Americanisation of Germany, including federalism

12
Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic

• 1958, De Gaulles coup and establishment of Fifth
  French Republic. Strong presidency eventually
  emerged
• Fourth Republic seen as failure, due to
  multipartyism, weak governments, shifting
  coalitions
• Power had passed to civil servants
• problem mirrored in post-Communist states