Western Constitutional System. Volume 2, European Constitution

Author: Zhang Qianfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: This book systematically introduces and compares the constitutional theories and practices of four major political entities: the United States, France, Germany, and the European Union. The book consists of twenty-one chapters, divided into two volumes. The first volume contains ten chapters, discussing various aspects of the U.S. constitutional system, including the federal government's division of power in both vertical and horizontal directions, fundamental freedoms and rights of individuals, state constitutions' protection of human rights, the division of power in state governments, and certain key issues of local government in the United States. The second volume contains eleven chapters, covering the constitutional development of major rule-of-law countries in Europe. This includes France's constitutional history and the Constitutional Council's protection of human rights over the past two decades, the main aspects of Germany's Basic Law, and the development process of the European Union as well as the judicial protection of trade freedom and normal criminal procedures. The book not only includes important constitutional provisions and theories of each country but also translates significant provisions from the constitutional history of each nation. Each chapter is followed by supplementary readings for interested scholars or students to consult.