The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy / Edition 1

by Carl Schmitt, Ellen Kennedy

Overview

The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy offers a powerful criticism of the inconsistencies of representative democracy.

Described both as "the Hobbes of our age" and as "the philosophical godfather of Nazism," Carl Schmitt was a brilliant and controversial political theorist whose doctrine of political leadership and critique of liberal democratic ideals distinguish him as one of the most original contributors to modern political theory. The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy offers a powerful criticism of the inconsistencies of representative democracy. First published in 1923, it has often been viewed as an attempt to destroy parliamentarism; in fact, it was Schmitt's attempt to defend the Weimar constitution. The introduction to this new translation places the book in proper historical context and provides a useful guide to several aspects of Weimar political culture. The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy is included in the series Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought, edited by Thomas McCarthy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262691260
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	06/22/1988
Series:	Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	184
Sales rank:	697,797
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.49(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Thomas McCarthy is John Schaffer Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University and the editor of the MIT Press series Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought.

What People are Saying About This

Jurgen Habermas

Today what Carl Schmitt has to say against the 'universal significance of the belief in discussion' is once again relevant. Here his criticisms penetrate the heart of Western rationalism.

From the Publisher

"Today what Carl Schmitt has to say against the "universal significance of the belief in discussion" is once again relevant. Here his criticisms penetrate the heart of Western rationalism." Jurgen Habermas , The Times Literary Supplement

Editorial Reviews

Today what Carl Schmitt has to say against the 'universal significance of the belief in discussion' is once again relevant. Here his criticisms penetrate the heart of Western rationalism.—Jurgen Habermas, The Times Literary Supplement—

From the Publisher

Today what Carl Schmitt has to say against the 'universal significance of the belief in discussion' is once again relevant. Here his criticisms penetrate the heart of Western rationalism.

—Jurgen Habermas, The Times Literary Supplement

Reviews

Today what Carl Schmitt has to say against the 'universal significance of the belief in discussion' is once again relevant. Here his criticisms penetrate the heart of Western rationalism.

The Times Literary Supplement - Jurgen Habermas