In the medieval period, Parliament acquired the right of consent to taxation. In the seventeenth century, the early Stuart monarchs, James I and Charles I, pressed for money, resorted to a number of financial expedients which involved the collection of revenue without parliamentary consent, actions which many members of Parliament considered as…[Read more]

In December 1993, the Russian Federation adopted a new constitution. This was seen by many in the West as a development that would lead to a new, democratic, law-based political order in Russia. Instead, it resulted in the establishment of the dictatorship of Vladimir Putin. I will attempt to explain some of the reasons I believe this happened. I…[Read more]

In December 1993, the Russian Federation adopted a new constitution. This was seen by many in the West as a development that would lead to a new, democratic, law-based political order in Russia. Instead, it resulted in the establishment of the dictatorship of Vladimir Putin. I will attempt to explain some of the reasons I believe this happened. I…[Read more]

This paper considers the question of absolutism. I have done this by comparing the early modern French and Austrian monarchies, with an emphasis on representative bodies and other institutions which imposed limits on the respective monarchies.