An Historical Introduction to Western Constitutional Law

Professor van Caenegem’s new book addresses fundamental questions of constitutional organization–democracy versus autocracy, unitary versus federal organization, pluralism versus intolerance–by analyzing different models of constitutional government through a historical perspective. The approach is chronological: constitutionalism is explained as the result of many centuries of trial and error through a narrative that begins in the early Middle Ages and concludes with contemporary debates, focusing on Europe, the United States, and the Soviet Union.