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.