1. The Democratic Institutions of Continental Europe Historical and Conceptual Perspectives

2. Visions, not pragmatism? Absolute monarchy Enlightened despotism Theocracy Republicanism Socialism: social democracy, anarchism, syndicalism Fascism and racism

3. Score card How quickly easily is legislation passed? How coherent is legislation? How easy is it to get rid of a bad govt? How stable is the executive? How does the country as a whole relate to the leader? How limited is government? How responsive to change between elections? How transparent?

4. Institutions in the abstract Head of State Chief Executive Legislature Judiciary Parties Media Interest groups/ “civil society”

5. Key events influencing institutional patterns American Revolution and constitution French Revolution 1789 1848 Paris Commune 1870 1st and 2nd World Wars

6. American Revolution Republicanism elective democracy Separation of powers federalism not of interest secularism rule of law and written Constitution

7. French Revolution Napoleon: positive aspects: efficient and effective Napoleonic Institutions in finance, local government, law and policing Negative: dictatorship and interminable war. Destruction of the revolutionary goals: liberty, equality and fraternity Powers of Assembly and Chief Executive a recurrent problem

8. 1848 Series of failed revolutions with a multiplicity of political issues, but perceived by many as having a strong working-class and socialist element socialism seen as utopian and antidemocratic. Bias introduced into institutions and their working to prevent victory of socialist parties

9. Paris Commune Warning to left-wingers that victory would provoke outside military intervention changed agenda for socialists and led to rise of social-democrats and democratic socialists, intent on using Parliamentary power for gradual redistribution of wealth Also led to clear appearance of Communist movement

10. First World War Emergence of Soviet Union and Communist International Destruction of German monarchy ditto Austro-Hungarian Empire new states, new constitutions, all weak Mussolini, Hitler How can democracy survive?

11. Second World War East Europe communist European Movement emerges: how to stop war and strengthen democracy? Cold War, US presence Americanisation of Germany, including federalism

12. Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic 1958, De Gaulle’s coup and establishment of Fifth French Republic. Strong presidency eventually emerged Fourth Republic seen as failure, due to multipartyism, weak governments, shifting coalitions Power had passed to civil servants problem mirrored in post-Communist states