Programme

I. The Premise: Representative institutions in Europe before the State
Political representation in late middle ages: the monarch, the assembly and the function of political consent: Kingdom of Leon and the realms of Crown of Aragon; English representative government. The Italian communes and their representative institutions: the recognition of political will in a citizens' assembly. Representative experiences during the early modern period.
Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
Marsilius (1324), The defender of the peace
An. (1340 ca.), Manner of Holding Parliament in England,
H.G. Koenigsberger, Monarchies and Parliaments in Early Modern Europe.

II. The Westminster model in England and beyond
Parliamentarism during the Civil War: the confrontation between sovereignity and representation.The powerful parliament: legislative supremacy, controlling the Government. English influence on American experience: the fusion with presidentialism? Parliament's reform during Victorian Age. Enriching political representation: responsibility and publicity.
Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
H. Parker (1643), The oath of pacification, or, A forme of religious accomodation humbly proposed both to King and Parliament,
Th. Hobbes (1679), Behemoth or The Long Parliament.
E. Burke (1770), Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontent.
Ch.J. Fox (1775), The Speeches of the Right Honourable Charles James Fox, in the House of Commons.
A. Hamilton, J. Jay, J. Madison (1788), The Federalist Papers.
J.S. Mill (1859), Thoughts on Parliamentary Reform.
W. Bagehot (1867), The English Constitution.

III. The French instance
Parlamentarism (and antiparlamentarism) during the Revolution. National sovereignity or popular sovereignity: the debate after the Revolution. Bourbon restoration and the question of deliberation. The Second Republic and the invention of national representation.The long apprenticeship of parliamentary democracy: the Third Republic.
Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
J.J. Rousseau (1762), The Social Contract.
M.-J,-A.-N. de Condorcet, Political Writings.
B. Constant (1815) Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments.
F. Guizot (1851), The History of the Origins of Representative Government in Europe.
A. de Tocqueville (1835-1840), Democracy in America.

IV. The Italian path towards Parliamentarism

Nation building and/or Revolution countering: political representation before 1861. The liberal age and the introduction of parliamentarism. The democratic debate after World War II.
Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
Civilization and Democracy: The Salvemini Anthology of Cattaneo's Writings.
G. Giolitti (1919), Speech at Dronero.
G. Mosca (1933), The Ruling Class.

V. Parliamentarism in the Austrian-German area
Constitutional experiences during the XIX century. “The (quick) rise and fall of Weimar” parliamentarism. (Re)constructing parliamentary democracy after Nazism.

Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
G.W.F. Hegel (1820), The Philosophy of Right.
M. Weber (1917), Parliament and Government in Germany under a New Political Order.
H. Kelsen (1929), The essence and value of democracy. .
J.A. Schumpeter (1942), Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy.
H. Mommsen, The Rise and Fall of Weimar Democracy.

VI. Cultures of antiparliamentarism in the XXth century
the transversal culture of anti-parliamentarism in the crisis of the liberal State. Socialist theories of political representation: soviet or parliament? Liberal parliaments under attack. Political representation and totalitarism.
Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
V.I. Lenin (1919), Should We Participate in Bourgeois Parliaments?.
C. Schmitt (1923), The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy.
G. Gentile (1934), Origins and Doctrines of Fascism.
A. Gramsci (1935), Notes 74 and 76 of Notebook 14, in The Prison Notebooks.

Cultures of European Parliamentarism
Two directions of historical analysis: the relation with other EU institutions; the relation with
national parliaments. Representation of European governments and parliaments (1952-1976). Representation of Europeans (1976-1992). Representation of European citizens (1992-2009). The European Parliament after Lisbon (2009-). Representation, citizenship and democracy beyond borders in Europe.
Readings for in-class discussion, excerpts from:
A. Spinelli (1983), Towards the European Union.
J. Habermas 2012), The crisis of European Union. A response.
G. Morgan (2005), The Idea of a European Superstate: Public Justification and European Integration.
P. Dann (2003), European Parliament and Executive Federalism.
A. Follesdal, S. Hix, 2006. Why There is a Democratic Deficit in the EU.

Core Documentation

1. Teaching resources provided by the teacher during the class
2. Selected readings for in-class discussion

Reference Bibliography

1. Ihalainen, P., Ilie, C., & Palonen, K. (Eds.). (2018). Parliament and Parliamentarism: A Comparative History of a European Concept. New York-Oxford: Berghahn Books (Part I and III) 2. Selinger, W. (2019). Parliamentarism: From Burke to Weber (Ideas in Context), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Type of delivery of the course

Lessons will take place using frontal teaching. Active participation of students will be encouraged, even with appropriate times of discussion on the addressed topics. For this reason, it will be recommended to combine classroom hours with home study, in order to gradually improve exam preparation.

Attendance

Course attendance is strongly recommended. Attending students must join at least 15 out of 18 lessons.

Type of evaluation

For all students assessment will take place through an oral exam, aimed to verify the skills gained: presentation maturity, lexical appropriateness and ability to link institutional-historical context and political thinkers will be particularly appreciated. During the last week of the course, attending students are required to carry out a written assessment; it will concur to the final evaluation during the oral exam.