Introduction to Public Law is a historical and comparative introduction to public law. The book traces back the origins of the res publica to Roman law and analyzes the course of its development, first during the monarchical age in continental Europe and England, and then during the republican age that began at the end of the eighteenth century with the democratic revolutions in the United States and France. For each period and country, the book analyzes the major concepts of public law and their transformations: sovereignty, the state, the statute, the separation of powers, the public interest, and administrative justice.
Introduction: Thinking About Public Law
BOOK I: THE MONARCHICAL AGE
Part A: The Continental Monarchies Chapter 1: The French Legacy
Chapter 2: The German Legacy
Part B: The English Monarchy Chapter 3: The Defeat of Absolutism
Chapter 4: The Rule of Law BOOK II: THE REPUBLICAN AGE
Part C: The American Model Chapter 5: Popular Sovereignty
Chapter 6: Limited Power
Part D: The French Model Chapter 7: National Sovereignty
Chapter 8: State Power
Conclusion
All those interested in public law (constitutional and administrative law), legal history, political theory, and comparative law.