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The English Constitution · Theme
Prerequisites for Elective Government
How The English Constitution develops Prerequisites for Elective Government.
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.
Where it surfaces
- Introduction
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.