The Rise of Majority Rule in Early Modern Britain and Its Empire
Douban
William J. Bulman
Sinossi
This expansive history of the origins of majority rule in modern representative government charts the emergence of majority voting as a global standard for decision-making in popular assemblies. Majority votes had, of course, been held prior to 1642, but not since antiquity had they been held with any frequency by a popular assembly with responsibility for the fate of a nation. The crucial moment in the global triumph of majority rule was its embrace by the elected assemblies of early modern Britain and its empire. William J. Bulman analyzes its sudden appearance in the English House of Commons and its adoption by the elected assemblies of Britain's Atlantic colonies in the age of the English, Glorious, and American Revolutions. These events made it overwhelmingly likely that the United Kingdom, the United States, and their former dependencies would become and remain fundamentally majoritarian polities. Providing an insightful commentary on the state of democratic governance today, this study sheds light on the nature, promise, and perils of majority rule.
contents
Select The Rise of Majority Rule in Early Modern Britain and Its Empire
The Rise of Majority Rule in Early Modern Britain and Its Empire
pp i-ii
Select The Rise of Majority Rule in Early Modern Britain and Its Empire - Title page
The Rise of Majority Rule in Early Modern Britain and Its Empire - Title page
pp iii-iii
Select Copyright page
Copyright page
pp iv-iv
Select Dedication
Dedication
pp v-vi
Select Contents
Contents
pp vii-vii
Select Figures
Figures
pp viii-viii
Select Tables
Tables
pp ix-ix
Select Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
pp x-xii
Select Note on the Text
Note on the Text
pp xiii-xiii
Select Abbreviations
Abbreviations
pp xiv-xiv
Select 1 - Introduction
1 - Introduction
pp 1-20
Select 2 - Consensus in the Commons, 1547–1642
2 - Consensus in the Commons, 1547–1642
pp 21-62
Select 3 - Consensus Imperiled, 1640–1641
3 - Consensus Imperiled, 1640–1641
pp 63-92
Select 4 - Consensus Destroyed, 1641–1643
4 - Consensus Destroyed, 1641–1643
pp 93-138
Select 5 - Revolutionary Decisions, 1643–1660
5 - Revolutionary Decisions, 1643–1660
pp 139-179
Select 6 - The Majority Institutionalized, 1660–1800
6 - The Majority Institutionalized, 1660–1800
pp 180-207
Select 7 - Little Parliaments in the Atlantic Colonies, 1613–1789
7 - Little Parliaments in the Atlantic Colonies, 1613–1789
pp 208-245
Select 8 - Conclusion
8 - Conclusion
pp 246-255
Select Bibliography
Bibliography
pp 256-275
Select Index
Index
pp 276-280