Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Schupmann
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Normative Theory ◽  
Constitutional Theory ◽  
Legal Change ◽  
Political World ◽  
Liberal Democrats ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
Democratic State ◽  
Constitutional Regime

The Conclusion uses Schmitt’s thought to analyze what is today known as “constrained” or “militant” democracy. A constrained democracy is a constitutional regime with mechanisms to prevent its own democratic subversion. Although this regime is present to varying degrees in most liberal democratic states today, efforts to provide its comprehensive normative theory and justify its use have fallen short. The conclusion argues that Schmitt’s state and constitutional theory, when used to theorize Weimar’s liberal counter-constitution, provides that comprehensive normative theory of constrained democracy. Schmitt’s state and constitutional theory provides liberal democrats today with an alternative way to think about the legitimacy of the liberal democratic state and the limits of democratic legal change. This chapter concludes by briefly discussing how to move constrained democracy beyond Schmitt and by describing some recent parallels between early twentieth-century extremist movements and today’s political world.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Schupmann
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Constitutional Theory ◽  
Original Solution ◽  
Anti Semitism ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
The People ◽  
Popular Appeal ◽  
The Will ◽  
Mass Democracy ◽  
Modern Mass

The Introduction analyzes both how the popular appeal of the Nazi and Communist parties posed a dilemma for Weimar democracy and how Schmitt thought this dilemma illustrated the broader problem mass democracy posed for twentieth-century constitutional democratic states. The dilemma begged the question of whether the will of the people could be legitimately constrained. The Introduction contextualizes Schmitt’s analysis of this dilemma by reconstructing nineteenth- and early twentieth-century debates in German jurisprudence about the nature of valid law, arguing that Schmitt’s thought emerged out of an anti-positivist movement. This Introduction also assesses some of the problems facing scholarship of Schmitt, including his occasionalism and anti-Semitism. While acknowledging how damning these charges are, it argues that Schmitt’s state and constitutional theory can be separated from his personal failures and that his thought provides a valuable and original solution to the problems modern mass democracy poses.

Carl Schmitt's State and Constitutional Theory

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Schupmann
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
State Theory ◽  
The State ◽  
Popular Sovereignty ◽  
Constitutional Theory ◽  
Constitutional Democracy ◽  
Liberal Democrats ◽  
Positive Law ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
Past State

This book analyzes Carl Schmitt’s state and constitutional theory and shows how he conceived it in response to the Weimar crisis. Schmitt modeled his theory on past state theory, particularly Hobbes’ Leviathan. Schmitt sought to address the unique problems posed by mass democracy. Extremists recognized a path to legal revolution lay in the constitution’s combination of democratic procedures, total neutrality toward political goals, and positive law. To prevent the subversion of the state and civil war, Schmitt theorized ways to depoliticize conflicts and restore the state’s authority. He argued the constitution imposed absolute limits on democratic will. And he insisted those limits were determined by the liberal democratic constitution’s prior commitment to basic rights. Schmitt’s state and constitutional theory remains important today because the problems he identifies within liberal democratic states have not gone away. Schmitt’s thought anticipated “constrained” or “militant” democracy, a type of constitution that guards against subversive expressions of popular sovereignty and whose mechanisms include the entrenchment of basic constitutional commitments and party bans. Although today’s political challenges are not identical to those Weimar faced, the threat of constitutional democracy committing suicide has not gone away. Liberal democrats can learn from Schmitt’s analysis and theory to address today’s challenges.

The calling of social thought

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Michael Polanyi ◽  
Talcott Parsons ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
Democratic State ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Edward Shils ◽  
The University

Edward Shils was an important figure in twentieth century social theory, and a true transatlantic thinker who divided his time between the University of Chicago and the U.K. He was friends with many important thinkers in other fields, such as Michael Polanyi and Saul Bellow. He became known to sociologists through his brief collaboration with Talcott Parsons, but his own thinking diverged both from Parsons and conventional sociology. He developed but never finalized a comprehensive image of human society made up of personal, civic, and sacred bonds. But much of his thought was focused on conflicts: between intellectuals and their societies, between tradition and modernity, ideological conflict, and conflicts within the traditions of the modern liberal democratic state. This book explores the thought of Shils, his relations to key figures, his key themes and ideas, and his abiding interests in such topics as the academic tradition and universities. Together, the chapters provide the most comprehensive picture of Shils as a thinker, and explain his continuing relevance.

Some Polish Composers of To-Day

Tempo ◽  
1948 ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
Andrzej Panufnik
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Fertile Soil ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
Progressive Group ◽  
Karol Szymanowski

It is ten years since KAROL SZYMANOWSKI died at fifty-four. He was the most prominent representative of the “radical progressive” group of early twentieth century composers, which we call “Young Poland.” In their manysided and pioneering efforts they prepared the fertile soil on which Poland's present day's music thrives.

V1214: Edward Loughborough Keyes: An Early Twentieth Century Leader In Urology

2004 ◽  
Vol 171 (4S) ◽  
pp. 320-320
Author(s):  
Peter J. Stahl ◽  
E. Darracott Vaughan ◽  
Edward S. Belt ◽  
David A. Bloom ◽  
Ann Arbor
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Early Twentieth Century

New insights into the controversy surrounding marine biological laboratory (Marine Station) facilities in the Firth of Clyde in the early twentieth century

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-170
Author(s):  
P. G. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Marine Biological Laboratory ◽  
Biological Station ◽  
Marine Biological ◽  
Biological Laboratory ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
Marine Station ◽  
Regius Professor ◽  
Adjacent Island

Three letters from the Sheina Marshall archive at the former University Marine Biological Station Millport (UMBSM) reveal the pivotal significance of Sheina Marshall's father, Dr John Nairn Marshall, behind the scheme planned by Glasgow University's Regius Professor of Zoology, John Graham Kerr. He proposed to build an alternative marine station facility on Cumbrae's adjacent island of Bute in the Firth of Clyde in the early years of the twentieth century to cater predominantly for marine researchers.

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