The English Constitution · Question
How does The English Constitution develop the theme of Prerequisites for Elective Government?
Answer
The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot develops Prerequisites for Elective Government across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book identifies rare national characteristics needed for successful elective and Cabinet government, including mutual trust among electors, a calm national mind, and 'rationality'—the ability to form steady conceptions of distant political objects.
The chapter touches on the capacity of a nation for parliamentary institutions and the behavior of political parties in relation to national interest.
Bagehot identifies three essential conditions: mutual confidence among electors, a calm national mind, and rationality (the ability to conceive of distant objects). These are necessary for any elective system to function without collapse.
Evidence in the book
- I
The chapter touches on the capacity of a nation for parliamentary institutions and the behavior of political parties in relation to national interest.
- VII: The Prerequisites of Cabinet Government, and the Peculiar Form Which They Have Assumed in England
Bagehot identifies three essential conditions: mutual confidence among electors, a calm national mind, and rationality (the ability to conceive of distant objects). These are necessary for any elective system to function without collapse.
