History of Political Institutions Prof Marco Olivetti October
History of Political Institutions Prof. Marco Olivetti October 6 th, 2020 General Introduction
Technical infos • • • Wednesday & Thursday, 3 -5 pm 40 hours Room 16 Googlemeet: meet. google. com/nfg-itns-hrs The texts and the materials for the preparation of the Course will be available as attachments in my home page • To contact me: m. olivetti@lumsa. it • M. olivetti 65@gmail. com
General plan of the course • Introduction: a) object of the course; b) some general notions on State and Constitution • History of the systems of government in the liberal-democratic State: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary government, presidential government, direct election of Prime Minister, directorial government • History of the systems of distribution of powers between different levels of government (federalism, regionalism, unitary-centralized State) • History of judicial review of legislation
History of Political Institutions and other branches of History • A History of the Institutions of • • Government - History of Political Parties and of Trade Unions - History of Political Doctrines and political thought - Political History and General history - Legal History
Which Institutions? • Institutions of government • Constitutional and administrative history • In this course we will study mainly the constitutional dimension, leaving in the shadow the administrative one • Yet the administration is extremely important: a) For the same existence of the State b) For the implementation of policies deliberated by politics (political institutions) * History of Judicial institutions and of trials: they should be considered by History pf political institutions only if and when they are able to interfere with politics it is the case of supreme judicial institutions and of the judicial review of legislation
History • • Present and past Static and dynamic approach Philosophy of history versus fragmentation A research problem: the question from the present to the past • Chronology
The “materials” • Political institutions are organizations regulated by law • Legal rules (sp. constitutions) • Political facts great political events generate institutions: the English, the French and the American revolutions as examples • • The influence of personalities (e. g. De Gaulle) The influence of political forces Culture (general culture) Political doctrines, Ideologies, concepts (e. g. separation of powers, sovereignty) • How all these factor influence the interpretation of the rules written in the constitutions • Unwritten rules (custom, conventions)
Other sciences and courses on political institutions • Law Constitutional law, administrative law, comparative • • • constitutional and administrative law, public law, philosophy of law Political science Sociology (of politics) Political philosophy Economy (e. g. rational choice theory, constitutional political economy, etc. ) History of ancient medieval and modern political institutions Legal history
Basic chronological outline • 1492 -1789: from the renaissance to the French • • revolution the formation of modern State 1640 and 1688 the two English revolution 1776 and 1789 the two great revolutions in America and in France shape contemporary political institutions 1815 Restoration, partial return to the past (Absolutism in Austria, Prussia, Russia and in the Italian states) and constitutional monarchies in continental Europe 1848 Democratic revolution and its failure, but extension of liberalization of monarchies
Basic chronological outline • 1870 Rise of nationalism and imperialism: the first great and stable republic in Europe (France), the German alternative (“pure” constitutional monarchy) and the middle way of parliamentary monarchies in European states • 1918 Democratization in Europe, democratic breakdown (Italy, Germany, Spain…) and authoritarian/totalitarian governments (communism and fascism) • 1945 New wave of democratization: “constitutions of compromise”; popular democracies; surviving cryptofascist regimes
Basic chronological outline • In the 70 s and 80 s the third wave of democratization (Huntington): Spain, Portugal, Philippines, Argentine, Brazil etc. • 1989 -91 Triumph of the liberal democratic model in Europe, Latin America and partially Africa • In the 2010 -2020 decade resurgence of authoritarianism (China, Russia, Turkey…)
What and where • The title of the course leaves open which experiences to analyze (and also the period, actually) • Possible solutions a) A history of Italian political institutions b) A history of a group of States, selected because of its importance or concentrating the attention to a cultural and geographic area c) A monographic course on a problem in one or more countries (e. g. federalism, direct democracy…) d) A history of some selected problems, speaking also of the actual constitutional history of some selected countries We will follow this last approach, but with flashes on the history of some countries
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