Controlled by the State: From Ancient Athens to Today's Constitutional History

Author: (USA) Scott Gordon / Ying Qi / Chen Liwei / Meng Jun / Li Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book explores the development of constitutional thought and practice. The authors define constitutionalism as a political system that controls the coercive power of the state through the plural distribution of political power. The book examines the main historical stages of constitutional practice: ancient Athens, the Roman Republic, Venice during the Renaissance, the Dutch Republic, 17th-century England, and 18th-century America, with particularly engaging analyses of the Venetian Republic and the Dutch Republic, which are often overlooked in traditional paradigms. By blending institutional history research with political analysis and integrating it with vibrant historical events and a lively intellectual atmosphere, the authors make this book highly readable.