| Many of the problems that the members of the | | | | the course of performing the necessary |
| European Union are expressing with their | | | | administrative functions. Hence the need for |
| constitution are in matter of fact problems | | | | Christianity with its monastic tradition of |
| with they perceive to be the 'one size fits | | | | learning, with its schools where Latin or |
| all' idea of policies. The French are loudest | | | | Church Slavonic were taught, with its ability |
| in expressing their objections and looking at | | | | to replace tribal particularism with its own |
| the history of the evolution of the nation | | | | universalist message. To initiate a social |
| state, perhaps they have a point. It took | | | | revolution of these dimensions, strong |
| millennia for the idea of the Nation State to | | | | leadership and permanent political |
| evolve into any recognizable shape. So to | | | | institutions had to emerge," Schenker writes. |
| expect a huge bloc of countries to continue | | | | It took some European countries millennia |
| to integrate without noticeable hiccups would | | | | before the favorable conditions for the |
| be naive.The idea of the modern state as it | | | | establishment of a nation state arose with a |
| can still be seen in Europe and the US was in | | | | central 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 1576 | | | | elite.Bodin's thinking on political issues |
| book Six Livres de la Republique describes a | | | | was quite similar to that of thinkers of his |
| republic as "a just government of several | | | | generation, 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". His | | | | believed that human laws and society very |
| description and further treatment of the | | | | closely reflected the immutable principles of |
| subject confirms the great importance the | | | | the divine and natural orders, but instead |
| concept 'authority' and 'sovereign rule' has | | | | argued 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 is | | | | characterized by a high degree of |
| said to have been both the proponent of an | | | | particularity, variability and mutability. |
| overly powerful ruling class -absolute | | | | However, Bodin did say that the human |
| monarchy- as well as an advocate for limiting | | | | political order could not subsist without |
| the power of this sovereign to the doorstep | | | | some divine and natural foundation. His works |
| of every household.He was the first to hit | | | | are attempts to identify a new universal |
| home the notion of sovereignty as a limited | | | | foundation for human laws and society, |
| entity when he at the time of writing | | | | anchored in the divine and natural orders and |
| referred to mostly feudal and monarchic | | | | are highly regarded in their pioneering the |
| systems elsewhere in the world as simply | | | | nation state until today.Bodin's treatment of |
| horrific. Slave master relations in countries | | | | the nation state appears to be motivated by |
| like Russia, Turkey and Iran at the time | | | | his perception that the limitations of power |
| abhorred the Europeans. These countries had a | | | | needed to be made clear. In arguing the case |
| sovereign who was more or less full master of | | | | for absolute monarchy, he did speak out |
| the "bodies and goods" of his subjects. The | | | | against abusive taxation policies in outside |
| people of Europe would have not put up with | | | | countries, but underlined the need for a well |
| such a regime that took for granted certain | | | | ordered society which did away with the |
| limits to the state's authority, according to | | | | remaining remnants of feudalism. He saw |
| Bodin. On the other hand, Bodin was accused | | | | France's defense as neccessitating collective |
| of being a proponent of unlimited rule. True | | | | payment of soldiers to defend the country |
| enough, Bodin extolled in extravagant terms | | | | against a Spanish army, which was financed by |
| the prerogatives of sovereignty; but these | | | | silver from the New World. (This was the |
| did not include the power to impose new | | | | first standing army since the Romans' more |
| taxes. 'Natural law' forbade this, he | | | | than a thousand years earlier.)Incidentally, |
| said.Bodin cites Seneca to the effect that | | | | this was also the occasion on which France |
| `to Kings appertains the power over all, but | | | | established a mercenary economy; it started |
| property belongs to individuals'" Bodin is | | | | to create revenues by keeping imports low |
| said to have been very impressed with | | | | while pushing exports and subsidizing them. |
| Europe's eldest form of democracy, embodied | | | | Few political thinkers have been regarded to |
| in the ancient democratic ceremony of the | | | | be at once as innovative and as self- |
| Carantanians (currently in Austria), which he | | | | contradictory 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 Slovene | | | | Europe of today. A number of his ideas were |
| community in Carantania was one of the few at | | | | developed in the seventeenth century, in |
| the time to not have slaves. Stretching from | | | | Germany, the Netherlands and England. They |
| the river Elbe to the Adriatic Sea, its | | | | either reconciled apparent contradictions |
| centre was at Gosposvetsko Polje near Krnski | | | | within his thought or exploited their |
| Grad which is in present-day Austrian | | | | ambiguity for political advantage.It took 300 |
| Carinthia.The free Carantania became infamous | | | | years--the time until the unification of |
| for resisting all foreign domination for | | | | Germany and Italy in the 19th century--before |
| almost one hundred years, which in this area | | | | Bodin'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 the | | | | adopted almost immediately by every European |
| historical memory, their example has inspired | | | | government, 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 from | | | | the absurdity of believing (as mercantilism |
| the Six Livres in his constitutional work. | | | | does) that a nation can get rich by robbing |
| The Carantanians' celebratory democratic | | | | its neighbors.Yet twenty-five years after |
| institution, the installation of a Slovene | | | | Smith, mercantilism was still the doctrine |
| duke persisted down to the year 1414 was | | | | that underlay America's first and most |
| quite a remarkable piece of culture even at | | | | important work in political theory; The |
| the time. It took place during a general | | | | Report on Manufacturers (1791) by Alexander |
| assembly of all free Carantanian Slavs, by | | | | Hamilton. And almost a century later, in the |
| voting. A duke would be installed with at a | | | | second half of the 19th century, Bismarck |
| place called Knezji Kamen (the Prince's | | | | based the new German Empire on Bodin's |
| Stone) with special rites by a peasant, the | | | | mercantilism as adapted to Europe by |
| embodiment of the people, on whose behalf he | | | | Hamilton'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 make | | | | of Political Economy. However discredited as |
| a solemn pledge in public to be fair and just | | | | economic theory, mercantilism, not Adam |
| at all times, to defend Carantania bravely | | | | Smith's free trade, thus became the policy |
| against all enemies, to do everything | | | | and practice of governments virtually |
| possible to safeguard peace, and to help the | | | | everywhere (except for one century in the |
| poor. The ceremony at the time was quite | | | | UK).The Spanish, predictably, never took a |
| unique and attracted the attention of the | | | | liking to Bodin. Their Counter-Reformation |
| humanist Aeneas Piccolomini, Pope Pius II, | | | | ideas disparaged Bodin as a politico, second |
| who travelled through Slovene lands, to say | | | | only to Machiavelli in his alleged advocacy |
| that the installation ceremony "was second to | | | | of the subordination of religion to political |
| none."This Robin Hood type democracy is known | | | | ends. By contrast, Italy during its |
| to have flourished centuries before the | | | | Counter-Reformation heydays, did adopt some |
| adoption of the Magna Carta in 1215, which is | | | | of his ideas but thinkers in this country had |
| widely regarded as the cornerstone of | | | | difficulties with his theory of sovereignty. |
| contemporary western democracies.This is not | | | | But Bodin has left his strongest imprint on |
| to say that Bodin advocated the Carantanian | | | | politics in France. Hence, some political |
| ideas, yet he was convinced though that human | | | | commentators regret today's Non in France and |
| structures as they had formed did show that | | | | say that the French for all the reasons they |
| they were quite detached from the balance of | | | | may have to do away with the European ideals |
| nature. Primitive tribal democracies of the | | | | they themselves are among the strongest |
| Carantanian time might not at all have been | | | | proponents for, is simply a denial of their |
| compatible either with the statehood that | | | | own origins. "A continental Constitution that |
| Bodin describes. "In order to function as | | | | ensures basic human rights and dignities |
| viable members of a medieval polity, states | | | | seems 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 identified | | | | people who lightly toss off their hard- |
| with a definite geographical space, a stretch | | | | earned heritage", writes Dawn Miller, an |
| of land whose physical features could imprint | | | | editorial writer of WVGazette, who fails to |
| themselveson the collective psyche. Such a | | | | understand the Non camp, after spending 11 |
| rooting in a particular territory could not | | | | days in a Parisian neighborhood.Others have |
| be brought about except by centralized | | | | issued warnings of doom if the technocrats of |
| political power which could define the | | | | Brussels continue to ride roughshod over the |
| territory's limits and organize their | | | | clearly expressed aspirations of member |
| defense. This demanded, in turn, the | | | | states, referring to recent challenges to |
| development of a social hierarchy in which a | | | | democratic ideals that are steeped in plenty |
| ruler and a class of nobles shared the | | | | historic precedent. "There have been enough |
| burdens of power and were able to interact | | | | hints by the electorates of various member |
| with their social counterparts in other | | | | states in a sufficiently large number of |
| states. The definition of spheres of | | | | national elections to give Brussels a sense |
| authority and the stabilization of | | | | of what needs to be done. Each time, election |
| administrative practices called for the | | | | results that have reflected the rise of |
| adoption of definite legal procedures for | | | | populist, anti-EU parties (such as occurred |
| whose formulation a supratribal literary | | | | in France's last Presidential election) have |
| language was needed," describes Alexander M. | | | | been dismissed as one-off aberrations", |
| Schenker, a Yale University scholar in his | | | | writes Marshall Auerback in his international |
| 'An introduction to Slavic Philology"He then | | | | perspective on He says that as a consequence, |
| goes on to illustrate that the void here was | | | | the 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 political | | | | the future. That is why we already see a |
| powers as a natural extension to its | | | | vacuum in Brussel which is likely to only get |
| religious teachings. Bodin, who lived at the | | | | more extensive as time goes along and no |
| time that Huguenots and Catholics were | | | | change is made in operating |
| involved in religious strife, advocated more | | | | procedures.Angelique van Engelen is a |
| secular, professionalised political rule that | | | | freelance writer based in the Netherlands, |
| superseded church domination."Cadres of | | | | writing for She writes political reports, |
| learned, or at least literate, people had to | | | | news, features, web content brochures and |
| be developed in order to use this language in | | | | research. |