English and French Influences on German Party Theory Before 1848

Was there a general anti-party sentiment in 19th century German political thought? The paper argues for a revision of this long-standing prejudice in favour of a more benign view on the 'Vormärz' ('pre-March') concept of political parties. It shows how the influence of English (and to some extent) French constitutional practices and political thought led German writers to an elaborate theory of political parties as early as at the eve of the 1848 German revolution. The findings are based on a broad analysis of more than 250 text sources originating from 1815 to 1848.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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