THE CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY Theory of the democratic state:
H. Kohn o
Critical enquiry
o
Mutual regard and compromise
o
Opposition
o
Pluralistic values
o
Individual liberty
Post-First World War effort to allow new European democracies work: o
Extension of suffrage
o
Strengthen parliamentary powers
o
Proportional
representation
(compare
central
and
eastern
Europe
with
Belgian/Dutch systems)
Strains after First World War:
Economic crises and depression
Racial instability
Social unrest
Proportional representation of the inter-war period unable to reconcile national, religious, ideological and regional groups (K. J. Newman) especially in Poland and Yugoslavia.
Disillusionment with democracy and growing support for authoritarian rule
New constitutions allowed authoritarian rule in exceptional circumstances o
E.g. Weimar Republic, Article 48, Great Depression 1931 ushered in authoritarian rule
Lack of popular statesmen o
Briand and Stresemann – unostentatious diplomacy
o
Churchill only rose to popularity in 1940
o
Personalities were critics of democracy (Mussolini, Hitler, Piłudski etc.)