Publicity, Liberty of the Press, and Representative Government in the Writings of the French Doctrinaires
Publicity, Liberty of the Press, and Representative Government in the Writings of the French Doctrinaires

Summary/Abstract: Although the French Doctrinaires built up one of the most important political theories of the nineteenth-century, they remain largely unknown in the English-speaking world. This paper examines the Doctrinaires’ theory of publicity by concentrating on François Guizot’s History of the Origins of Representative Government in Europe and Royer-Collard’s parliamentary discourses. The Doctrinaires’ theory of publicity shows how the norms of publicity vary with different social and political circumstances and sheds light on the ways in which state and society can be involved in a complex process of mutual empowerment. Special attention is paid to Guizot’s theory of publicity as the cornerstone of representative government and to the Doc- trinaires’ views on freedom of the press.

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