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French NON to Europe Might be Engrained in Their History

Many of the problems that the members of thethe course of performing the necessary
European Union are expressing with theiradministrative functions. Hence the need for
constitution are in matter of fact problemsChristianity with its monastic tradition of
with they perceive to be the 'one size fitslearning, with its schools where Latin or
all' idea of policies. The French are loudestChurch Slavonic were taught, with its ability
in expressing their objections and looking atto replace tribal particularism with its own
the history of the evolution of the nationuniversalist message. To initiate a social
state, perhaps they have a point. It tookrevolution of these dimensions, strong
millennia for the idea of the Nation State toleadership and permanent political
evolve into any recognizable shape. So toinstitutions had to emerge," Schenker writes.
expect a huge bloc of countries to continueIt took some European countries millennia
to integrate without noticeable hiccups wouldbefore the favorable conditions for the
be naive.The idea of the modern state as itestablishment of a nation state arose with a
can still be seen in Europe and the US was incentral element here often the opposition of
matter of fact invented by a Frenchman.pagans toward ruling by a clergy
Political philosopher Jean Bodin in his 1576elite.Bodin's thinking on political issues
book Six Livres de la Republique describes awas quite similar to that of thinkers of his
republic as "a just government of severalgeneration, including Montaigne, Pasquier and
households and of what they hold in common,Le Roy. These thinkers, like Bodin no longer
with the power of sovereignty". Hisbelieved that human laws and society very
description and further treatment of theclosely reflected the immutable principles of
subject confirms the great importance thethe divine and natural orders, but instead
concept 'authority' and 'sovereign rule' hasargued that human affairs were generally
had in our formative ideas of statehood.detached from these orders and were
Bodin is a very contradicting scholar. He ischaracterized by a high degree of
said to have been both the proponent of anparticularity, variability and mutability.
overly powerful ruling class -absoluteHowever, Bodin did say that the human
monarchy- as well as an advocate for limitingpolitical order could not subsist without
the power of this sovereign to the doorstepsome divine and natural foundation. His works
of every household.He was the first to hitare attempts to identify a new universal
home the notion of sovereignty as a limitedfoundation for human laws and society,
entity when he at the time of writinganchored in the divine and natural orders and
referred to mostly feudal and monarchicare highly regarded in their pioneering the
systems elsewhere in the world as simplynation state until today.Bodin's treatment of
horrific. Slave master relations in countriesthe nation state appears to be motivated by
like Russia, Turkey and Iran at the timehis perception that the limitations of power
abhorred the Europeans. These countries had aneeded to be made clear. In arguing the case
sovereign who was more or less full master offor absolute monarchy, he did speak out
the "bodies and goods" of his subjects. Theagainst abusive taxation policies in outside
people of Europe would have not put up withcountries, but underlined the need for a well
such a regime that took for granted certainordered society which did away with the
limits to the state's authority, according toremaining remnants of feudalism. He saw
Bodin. On the other hand, Bodin was accusedFrance's defense as neccessitating collective
of being a proponent of unlimited rule. Truepayment of soldiers to defend the country
enough, Bodin extolled in extravagant termsagainst a Spanish army, which was financed by
the prerogatives of sovereignty; but thesesilver from the New World. (This was the
did not include the power to impose newfirst standing army since the Romans' more
taxes. 'Natural law' forbade this, hethan a thousand years earlier.)Incidentally,
said.Bodin cites Seneca to the effect thatthis was also the occasion on which France
`to Kings appertains the power over all, butestablished a mercenary economy; it started
property belongs to individuals'" Bodin isto create revenues by keeping imports low
said to have been very impressed withwhile pushing exports and subsidizing them.
Europe's eldest form of democracy, embodiedFew political thinkers have been regarded to
in the ancient democratic ceremony of thebe at once as innovative and as self-
Carantanians (currently in Austria), which hecontradictory as Jean Bodin, a statement that
said "had no parallel throughout the world."would not be totally out of line describing
And perhaps he was right; The SloveneEurope of today. A number of his ideas were
community in Carantania was one of the few atdeveloped in the seventeenth century, in
the time to not have slaves. Stretching fromGermany, the Netherlands and England. They
the river Elbe to the Adriatic Sea, itseither reconciled apparent contradictions
centre was at Gosposvetsko Polje near Krnskiwithin his thought or exploited their
Grad which is in present-day Austrianambiguity for political advantage.It took 300
Carinthia.The free Carantania became infamousyears--the time until the unification of
for resisting all foreign domination forGermany and Italy in the 19th century--before
almost one hundred years, which in this areaBodin's description of the nation-state came
of tribal Europe was also quite impressive.to dominate Europe. But his mercantilism was
Besides leaving a lasting imprint on theadopted almost immediately by every European
historical memory, their example has inspiredgovernment, large or small. It remained the
European countries to date as well as the US,reigning philosophy until Adam Smith showed
where Thomas Jefferson took inspiration fromthe absurdity of believing (as mercantilism
the Six Livres in his constitutional work.does) that a nation can get rich by robbing
The Carantanians' celebratory democraticits neighbors.Yet twenty-five years after
institution, the installation of a SloveneSmith, mercantilism was still the doctrine
duke persisted down to the year 1414 wasthat underlay America's first and most
quite a remarkable piece of culture even atimportant work in political theory; The
the time. It took place during a generalReport on Manufacturers (1791) by Alexander
assembly of all free Carantanian Slavs, byHamilton. And almost a century later, in the
voting. A duke would be installed with at asecond half of the 19th century, Bismarck
place called Knezji Kamen (the Prince'sbased the new German Empire on Bodin's
Stone) with special rites by a peasant, themercantilism as adapted to Europe by
embodiment of the people, on whose behalf heHamilton's great German admirer, Friedrich
invested the duke with power and authority.List, in his 1841 book, The National System
Just imagine the scene.The prince had to makeof Political Economy. However discredited as
a solemn pledge in public to be fair and justeconomic theory, mercantilism, not Adam
at all times, to defend Carantania bravelySmith's free trade, thus became the policy
against all enemies, to do everythingand practice of governments virtually
possible to safeguard peace, and to help theeverywhere (except for one century in the
poor. The ceremony at the time was quiteUK).The Spanish, predictably, never took a
unique and attracted the attention of theliking to Bodin. Their Counter-Reformation
humanist Aeneas Piccolomini, Pope Pius II,ideas disparaged Bodin as a politico, second
who travelled through Slovene lands, to sayonly to Machiavelli in his alleged advocacy
that the installation ceremony "was second toof the subordination of religion to political
none."This Robin Hood type democracy is knownends. By contrast, Italy during its
to have flourished centuries before theCounter-Reformation heydays, did adopt some
adoption of the Magna Carta in 1215, which isof his ideas but thinkers in this country had
widely regarded as the cornerstone ofdifficulties with his theory of sovereignty.
contemporary western democracies.This is notBut Bodin has left his strongest imprint on
to say that Bodin advocated the Carantanianpolitics in France. Hence, some political
ideas, yet he was convinced though that humancommentators regret today's Non in France and
structures as they had formed did show thatsay that the French for all the reasons they
they were quite detached from the balance ofmay have to do away with the European ideals
nature. Primitive tribal democracies of thethey themselves are among the strongest
Carantanian time might not at all have beenproponents for, is simply a denial of their
compatible either with the statehood thatown origins. "A continental Constitution that
Bodin describes. "In order to function asensures basic human rights and dignities
viable members of a medieval polity, statesseems to be as much a French legacy as anyone
had to possess permanent social structures.else's. [...] we are awash in examples of
First of all, a state had to be identifiedpeople who lightly toss off their hard-
with a definite geographical space, a stretchearned heritage", writes Dawn Miller, an
of land whose physical features could imprinteditorial writer of WVGazette, who fails to
themselveson the collective psyche. Such aunderstand the Non camp, after spending 11
rooting in a particular territory could notdays in a Parisian neighborhood.Others have
be brought about except by centralizedissued warnings of doom if the technocrats of
political power which could define theBrussels continue to ride roughshod over the
territory's limits and organize theirclearly expressed aspirations of member
defense. This demanded, in turn, thestates, referring to recent challenges to
development of a social hierarchy in which ademocratic ideals that are steeped in plenty
ruler and a class of nobles shared thehistoric precedent. "There have been enough
burdens of power and were able to interacthints by the electorates of various member
with their social counterparts in otherstates in a sufficiently large number of
states. The definition of spheres ofnational elections to give Brussels a sense
authority and the stabilization ofof what needs to be done. Each time, election
administrative practices called for theresults that have reflected the rise of
adoption of definite legal procedures forpopulist, anti-EU parties (such as occurred
whose formulation a supratribal literaryin France's last Presidential election) have
language was needed," describes Alexander M.been dismissed as one-off aberrations",
Schenker, a Yale University scholar in hiswrites Marshall Auerback in his international
'An introduction to Slavic Philology"He thenperspective on He says that as a consequence,
goes on to illustrate that the void here wasthe underlying political message is ignored
filled up by the literate clergy. Those days,and that this is storing up more trouble for
the church pretty much assumed politicalthe future. That is why we already see a
powers as a natural extension to itsvacuum in Brussel which is likely to only get
religious teachings. Bodin, who lived at themore extensive as time goes along and no
time that Huguenots and Catholics werechange is made in operating
involved in religious strife, advocated moreprocedures.Angelique van Engelen is a
secular, professionalised political rule thatfreelance writer based in the Netherlands,
superseded church domination."Cadres ofwriting for She writes political reports,
learned, or at least literate, people had tonews, features, web content brochures and
be developed in order to use this language inresearch.



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