The Problem of Democracy in Postwar Europe

The Problem of Democracy in Postwar Europe PDF Author: Pepijn Corduwener
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134996330
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
The current perception of democratic crisis in Western Europe gives a renewed urgency to a new perspective on the way democracy was reconstructed after World War II and the principles that underpinned its postwar transformation. This study accounts for the formation of the postwar democratic order in Western Europe by studying how the main political actors in France, West Germany and Italy conceptualized democracy and strove over its meaning. Based upon a wide range of librarian and archival sources from these countries, it tracks changing conceptions of democracy among leading politicians, political parties, and leaders of social movements, and unveils how they were deeply divided over key principles of postwar democracy – such as the political party, the free market economy, representation, and civic participation. By comparing three national debates on the question what democracy meant and how it should be institutionalized and practiced, this study argues that only in the 1970s conceptions of democracy converged and key political actors accepted each other as democrats with similar conceptions of democracy. This study thereby deconstructs the myth of the quick emergence of one consensual Western European model of democracy after 1945, demonstrates that its formation was a long and contentious process in which national differences were often of crucial importance, and contributes to an enhanced understanding of the historical roots of the current sentiment of democratic crisis.

The Problem of Democracy in Postwar Europe

The Problem of Democracy in Postwar Europe PDF Author: Pepijn Corduwener
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134996330
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book Here

Book Description
The current perception of democratic crisis in Western Europe gives a renewed urgency to a new perspective on the way democracy was reconstructed after World War II and the principles that underpinned its postwar transformation. This study accounts for the formation of the postwar democratic order in Western Europe by studying how the main political actors in France, West Germany and Italy conceptualized democracy and strove over its meaning. Based upon a wide range of librarian and archival sources from these countries, it tracks changing conceptions of democracy among leading politicians, political parties, and leaders of social movements, and unveils how they were deeply divided over key principles of postwar democracy – such as the political party, the free market economy, representation, and civic participation. By comparing three national debates on the question what democracy meant and how it should be institutionalized and practiced, this study argues that only in the 1970s conceptions of democracy converged and key political actors accepted each other as democrats with similar conceptions of democracy. This study thereby deconstructs the myth of the quick emergence of one consensual Western European model of democracy after 1945, demonstrates that its formation was a long and contentious process in which national differences were often of crucial importance, and contributes to an enhanced understanding of the historical roots of the current sentiment of democratic crisis.

The Force of Obedience

The Force of Obedience PDF Author: Beatrice Hibou
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 0745651801
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
The events that took place in Tunisia in January 2011 were the spark igniting the uprisings that swept across North Africa and the Middle East, toppling dictators and leading to violent conflict and tense stand-offs. What was it about this small country in North Africa that enabled it to play this exceptional role? This book is a deeply informed account of the exercise of power in Tunisia in the run-up to the revolt that forced its authoritarian ruler, Ben Ali, into exile. It analyses the practices of domination and repression that were pervasive features of everyday life in Tunisia, showing how the debt economy and the systems of social solidarity and welfare created forms of subjection and mutual dependence between rulers and ruled, enabling the reader to understand how a powerful protest movement could develop despite tight control by police and party. For those wishing to understand the extraordinary events unfolding across the Arab world, this rich, subtle and insightful book is the indispensable starting point.

 PDF Author:
Publisher: Odile Jacob
ISBN: 2738170625
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description


Gender and Forests

Gender and Forests PDF Author: Carol J. Pierce Colfer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317355660
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
This enlightening book brings together the work of gender and forestry specialists from various backgrounds and fields of research and action to analyse global gender conditions as related to forests. Using a variety of methods and approaches, they build on a spectrum of theoretical perspectives to bring depth and breadth to the relevant issues and address timely and under-studied themes. Focusing particularly on tropical forests, the book presents both local case studies and global comparative studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as the US and Europe. The studies range from personal histories of elderly American women’s attitudes toward conservation, to a combined qualitative / quantitative international comparative study on REDD+, to a longitudinal examination of oil palm and gender roles over time in Kalimantan. Issues are examined across scales, from the household to the nation state and the global arena; and reach back to the past to inform present and future considerations. The collection will be of relevance to academics, researchers, policy makers and advocates with different levels of familiarity with gender issues in the field of forestry.

Ethics and Politics

Ethics and Politics PDF Author: Peter Kemp
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN: 364390682X
Category : Political ethics
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
The main theme of volume 4 of Eco-ethica is Ethics and Politics. In the first and second part, the authors examine the sometimes conflictual relationship between ethics and politics from an eco-ethical perspective. They investigate how our conceptions of both ethics and politics have been shaped historically as well as by today's technological conjuncture. The third part continues the discussion of French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913 - 2005) begun in volume 3. The essays here focus on how his conception of the connections and differences between ethics and politics led him to embrace certain paradoxes in politics and forced him to become suspicious of apolitical thinking.

Governing Africa's Forests in a Globalized World

Governing Africa's Forests in a Globalized World PDF Author: Laura A. German
Publisher: Earthscan
ISBN: 184977451X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
Many countries around the world are engaged in decentralization processes, and most African countries face serious problems with forest governance, from benefits sharing to illegality and sustainable forest management. This book summarizes experiences to date on the extent and nature of decentralization and its outcomes, most of which suggest an underperformance of governance reforms, and explores the viability of different governance instruments in the context of weak governance and expanding commercial pressures over forests. Findings are grouped into two thematic areas: decentralization, livelihoods and sustainable forest management; and international trade, finance and forest sector governance reforms. The authors examine diverse forces shaping the forest sector, including the theory and practice of decentralization, usurpation of authority, corruption and illegality, inequitable patterns of benefits capture and expansion of international trade in timber and carbon credits, and discuss related outcomes on livelihoods, forest condition and equity. The book builds on earlier volumes exploring different dimensions of decentralization and perspectives from other world regions, and distills dimensions of forest governance that are both unique to Africa and representative of broader global patterns. Authors ground their analysis in relevant theory while attempting to distill implications of their findings for policy and practice.

Democracy, Social Resources and Political Power in the European Union

Democracy, Social Resources and Political Power in the European Union PDF Author: Niilo Kauppi
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719070587
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
In this book Kauppi develops a structural constructivist theory of the European Union and critically analyzes, through French and Finnish empirical cases, the political practices that maintain the Union's "democratic deficit". Kauppi conceptualizes the European Union as both an arena for political contention and a nascent political order. In this evolving, multi-levelled European political field, individuals and groups construct material and symbolic structures of political power, grounded in a variety of social resources such as nationality, culture, and gender.

Urban Water Conflicts

Urban Water Conflicts PDF Author: Bernard Barraque
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 0203877020
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
Urban water conflicts manifested first in Europe in the 19th century and are observed nowadays in various forms throughout the world; in particular, in developing countries. Main causes of these conflicts are characterized by complex socioeconomic and institutional issues related to urban water management. The debate about public water services ver

Totalitarian Democracy and After

Totalitarian Democracy and After PDF Author: Yehoshua Arieli
Publisher: Taylor & Francis US
ISBN: 9780714683041
Category : Totalitarianism
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description
This volume, first published in 1984, contains the principal papers from a distinguished colloquium held in 1982. Its avowed purpose is to investigate further the notion of "totalitarian democracy" and to look at its repercussions in the contemporary world.

Democracy in Modern France

Democracy in Modern France PDF Author: Nick Hewlett
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9780826474230
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
With its unique blend of political history and political theory, this book is a welcome addition to the series on Politics, Culture and Society in the New Europe. Nick Hewlett begins his fascinating study with a discussion of the various ways in which the concept of democracy has been interpreted. He continues by tracing the effect of France's revolutionary tradition on the theory and practice of democracy since the Enlightenment, looking in particular at both republican democracy and direct democracy. Hewlett examines the implications for democracy of profound social and political conflict in France and offers an unusual critique of the institutions and structures of formal politics, suggesting that their relationship with democracy is more tenuous than is often assumed. The political philosophy of `new liberals' such as Luc Ferry and Marcel Gauchet is also discussed in detail. Thought-provoking, original and closely-argued, this book explores some key aspects of politics in France whilst making a strong case for greater direct participation of ordinary people in politics. Nick Hewlett is Professor of French Studies and Director of the Centre for European Research at Oxford Brookes University. He is author of Modern French Politics. Conflict and Consensus since 1945 (1998), co-author of Contemporary France (with Jill Forbes and François Nectoux, 1994 and 2001), and co-editor of Currents in Contemporary French intellectual Life (with Christopher Flood, 2000) and Unity and Diversity in the New Europe (with Barrie Axford and Daniela Berghahn, 2000).