Book contents
- The Story of Constitutions
- Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy
- The Story of Constitutions
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Prologue
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Constitutional Diffusion
- Part II The History of the Constitution
- 4 Precursors
- 5 Etched into Collective Memory
- 6 Roman Roots
- 7 Mediaeval Constitutions
- 8 Early-Modern Constitutions
- 9 Generations
- 10 Second Generation
- 11 Third Generation
- 12 Fourth Generation
- 13 Fifth Generation
- 14 Sixth Generation
- 15 The Seventh Generation
- 16 The Eighth Generation
- 17 What Are the Lessons of History?
- Part III Concepts, Shapes and Types of Constitutions
- Part IV Effects
- Part V The Imagined Order of the Constitution
- References
- Name & Author Index
- Subject Index
12 - Fourth Generation
Liberal Constitutions
from Part II - The History of the Constitution
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2023
- The Story of Constitutions
- Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy
- The Story of Constitutions
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Prologue
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Constitutional Diffusion
- Part II The History of the Constitution
- 4 Precursors
- 5 Etched into Collective Memory
- 6 Roman Roots
- 7 Mediaeval Constitutions
- 8 Early-Modern Constitutions
- 9 Generations
- 10 Second Generation
- 11 Third Generation
- 12 Fourth Generation
- 13 Fifth Generation
- 14 Sixth Generation
- 15 The Seventh Generation
- 16 The Eighth Generation
- 17 What Are the Lessons of History?
- Part III Concepts, Shapes and Types of Constitutions
- Part IV Effects
- Part V The Imagined Order of the Constitution
- References
- Name & Author Index
- Subject Index
Summary
In the Spring of 1848 waves of liberal revolts roll over the Europe (the Springtime of Peoples). The insurgents demand more (guarantees for) freedoms and liberties cemented in new and liberal constitutions. And most of them want a parliament (parliamentary system) as well, with democratically chosen representatives at the helm instead of non-elected, autocratic leaders who are not politically answerable to anyone, lest to a parliament. Many of the authoritarian governments of the day initially give in to the demands of the people: a new fourth generation of liberal constitutions sweeps over the European continent (much of which are rolled back after a short while). This constitutional wave also ushers an era of new nations and the rise of nationalism.
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- The Story of ConstitutionsDiscovering the We in Us, pp. 150 - 154Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023