Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Controlling the State : Constitutionalism from Ancient Athens to Today - Scott Gordon

Controlling the State

Constitutionalism from Ancient Athens to Today

By: Scott Gordon

Paperback | 2 September 2002 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback


$97.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $24.50 with

 or 

Ships in 10 to 15 business days

This book examines the development of the theory and practice of constitutionalism, defined as a political system in which the coercive power of the state is controlled through a pluralistic distribution of political power. It explores the main venues of constitutional practice in ancient Athens, Republican Rome, Renaissance Venice, the Dutch Republic, seventeenth-century England, and eighteenth-century America.

From its beginning in Polybius' interpretation of the classical concept of "mixed government," the author traces the theory of constitutionalism through its late medieval appearance in the Conciliar Movement of church reform and in the Huguenot defense of minority rights. After noting its suppression with the emergence of the nation-state and the Bodinian doctrine of "sovereignty," the author describes how constitutionalism was revived in the English conflict between king and Parliament in the early Stuart era, and how it has developed since then into the modern concept of constitutional democracy.

Industry Reviews
While not defending any particular version of constitutionalism as best, Gordon argues persuasively that some form of constitutional government is necessary for both prosperity and the preservation of individual liberty. -- R. Hudelson * Choice *
An unusually sweeping book...[Gordon] provides a...concise and accessible introduction to the history of constitutional government ... Particularly valuable for its distinctive emphasis on countervailing power as the cornerstone of constitutional governance and its broad survey of the practice and idea of constitutionalism over the course of Western history. -- Keith E. Whittington * Law and Politics Book Review *

More in Politics & Government

For The People : Fighting Authoritarianism, Saving Democracy - A. C. Grayling
A Short History of Japan : Pelican Books - Christopher Harding

RRP $45.00

$35.75

21%
OFF
Oliver Cromwell : Commander in Chief - Ronald Hutton

RRP $26.95

$22.99

15%
OFF
On My Watch : Leading NATO in a Time of War - Jens Stoltenberg

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
Best Australian Political Cartoons 2025 - Russ Radcliffe

RRP $35.00

$28.75

18%
OFF
The Good Fight : What Does Labor Stand For?; Quarterly Essay 100 - Sean Kelly
The Chaser and Shovel Annual 2025

RRP $34.99

$28.75

18%
OFF
Earthquake : the election that shook Australia - Niki Savva

RRP $36.99

$22.19

40%
OFF
The Curious Diplomat : A memoir from the frontlines of diplomacy - Lachlan Strahan
The Emergency - George Packer

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$28.75

18%
OFF
Plots and Prayers - Niki Savva

RRP $37.99

$30.75

19%
OFF
The Infinite Game : From the bestselling author of Start With Why - Simon Sinek
A Different Kind of Power : A Memoir - Jacinda Ardern

RRP $55.00

$33.00

40%
OFF
Liberalism as a Way of Life - Alexandre Lefebvre

RRP $29.99

$26.75

11%
OFF
Search for Security : AUKUS and the New Militarism - Mark Beeson