|
Showing 1 - 10 of
10 matches in All Departments
How should the United States be governed during times of crisis?
Definitely not as we are in times of tranquility, asserts this
classic study. The war on terrorism is a case in point. The horrors
of terror attacks on the United States have forced Americans to
accept legislative changes that might be unthinkable at other
times. The "inescapable truth," Clinton Rossiter wrote in his
classic study of modern democracies in crisis, is that "No form of
government can survive that excludes dictatorship when the life of
the nation is at stake."In an insightful introduction, William
Quirk places Rossiter's work in the context of the new century and
the current war on terrorism. Constitutional Dictatorship examines
the experiences with emergency government of four large modern
democracies-the United States, Great Britain, France, and the
German Republic of 1919-1933-to see what unusual powers and
procedures these constitutional states employed in their various
periods of national trial.Rossiter's concept of a "constitutional
dictatorship" may be more shocking today than when he wrote the
book. Based on a thoroughgoing study of the use of emergency powers
in modern democracies, he determined that the facts of history
demonstrate that there are occasions when constitutional
dictatorship has served as an indispensable factor in maintaining
constitutional democracy. Supreme Court doctrine does not recognize
any implied presidential power to suspend the Constitution.
However, Rossiter believes this view to be inaccurate. He defends
his view through analysis of presidential action during the Civil
War, World I, the Depression, and World War II, arguing that when
the normal rules are not sufficient other rules take hold.Rossiter
proposed specific criteria by which to judge the worth and
propriety of any resort to constitutional dictatorship. He provides
a clear roadmap for both citizen and Congress to judge an
executive's actions. In his introduction, Quirk notes that
Rossiter's concept-the rapid return to normal government when the
crisis is concluded-rests on a premise that appears to be missing
today. This volume will be essential reading for those interested
in politics, constitutional law, and American history.
How should the United States be governed during times of crisis?
Definitely not as we are in times of tranquility, asserts this
classic study. The war on terrorism is a case in point. The horrors
of terror attacks on the United States have forced Americans to
accept legislative changes that might be unthinkable at other
times. The "inescapable truth," Clinton Rossiter wrote in his
classic study of modern democracies in crisis, is that "No form of
government can survive that excludes dictatorship when the life of
the nation is at stake." In an insightful introduction, William
Quirk places Rossiter's work in the context of the new century and
the current war on terrorism. "Constitutional Dictatorship"
examines the experiences with emergency government of four large
modern democracies-the United States, Great Britain, France, and
the German Republic of 1919-1933-to see what unusual powers and
procedures these constitutional states employed in their various
periods of national trial. Rossiter's concept of a "constitutional
dictatorship" may be more shocking today than when he wrote the
book. Based on a thoroughgoing study of the use of emergency powers
in modern democracies, he determined that the facts of history
demonstrate that there are occasions when constitutional
dictatorship has served as an indispensable factor in maintaining
constitutional democracy. Supreme Court doctrine does not recognize
any implied presidential power to suspend the Constitution.
However, Rossiter believes this view to be inaccurate. He defends
his view through analysis of presidential action during the Civil
War, World I, the Depression, and World War II, arguing that when
the normal rules are not sufficient other rules take hold. Rossiter
proposed specific criteria by which to judge the worth and
propriety of any resort to constitutional dictatorship. He provides
a clear roadmap for both citizen and Congress to judge an
executive's actions. In his introduction, Quirk notes that
Rossiter's concept-the rapid return to normal government when the
crisis is concluded-rests on a premise that appears to be missing
today. This volume will be essential reading for those interested
in politics, constitutional law, and American history.
Edward S. Corwin connects the Western European experience to the
American founding, providing a bold and accurate outline of the
tradition behind the 'higher law' of the United States and places
in historical context the political philosophy underlying the US
Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
A concise treatment of presidential power by a brilliant writer
is once again made available with the reissue of this book, first
published in 1951. The book is brought superbly up to date by one
of Rossiter's former students, Richard P. Longaker. New material
covers vital events of the past twenty-five years, including the
steel seizure and the dispatch of troops to Korea under Truman,
civil disturbances and the Gulf of Tonkin episode under Johnson,
the Pentagon Papers case, and the confrontation between Nixon and
the Supreme Court.
A distinguished historian and political scientist provides a
forthright and objective account of American party politics in this
concise and invaluable guide. In vigorous and lively language he
examines the two major parties-"the peacemakers of the American
community"-describing their historic functions and the way they
have helped to achieve national unity. He discusses their make-up,
their achievements and failures, the images each has established of
itself and of the opposition party. The demographic forces
influencing the American voter and the complex question of how the
parties actually differ receive thought-provoking treatment. This
invigorating analysis of the hard facts of American political life
will live far beyond the election year of 1960.
|
|