Product Description

'An ancient and ever-altering constitution is like an old man who still wears with attached fondness clothes in the fashion of his youth: what you see of him is the same; what you do not see is wholly altered.' Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution (1867) is the best account of the history and working of the British political system ever written. As arguments raged in mid-Victorian Britain about giving the working man the vote, and democracies overseas were pitched into despotism and civil war, Bagehot took a long, cool look at the 'dignified' and 'efficient' elements which made the English system the envy of the world. His analysis of the monarchy, the role of the prime minister and cabinet, and comparisons with the American presidential system are astute and timeless, and pertinent to current discussions surrounding devolution and electoral reform. Combining the wit and panache of a journalist with the wisdom of a man of letters steeped in evolutionary ideas and historical knowledge, Bagehot produced a book which is always thoughtful, often funny, and seldom dull. This edition reproduces Bagehot's original 1867 work in full, and introduces the reader to the dramatic political events that surrounded its publication.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #252818 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

Bagehot - A critical Appraisal
Bagehot's great treastise remains the definitive text on the British political system. Although written in the mid 19th century (in the period between the two reform Acts), 'The English Constitution' demonstrates a grasp of electoral politics, its underlying values and competing interests, as well a a rare insight into the parliamentary form of government and its component workings, which can inform present-day debate and can elighten the contemporary student of political science.

'The English Constitution' is not merely a study of 'comparative government', lucid as it is (particularly in its comparison witht the American presidential system), but is a work of great sociological import, exploring - in its treatment of the 'dignified' and 'efficient' functions of political institutions - the legitimacy of power, in a way which justly lays claim to a universal appeal.

Bagehot's writing style is always clear and to-the-point, as befits his training as a journalist. 'The English Constitution' is, of course, not mere journalistic 'copy', but is a deep and far-reaching analysis of the political life of the nation, at a crucial stage in this country's social, political and constitutional development.