The Constitutional State Triumphed in Holland and England (Research Paper Sample)

The Constitutional State Triumphed in Holland and England

Constitutionalism is characterized as a type of government in which the exercise of governmental power is restrained by law, and a balance is struck between individual freedom and governmental control. However, the rights and liberties of the people also serve as a check on government power. Two nations that accepted and incorporated constitutionalism into their political systems are England and Holland. England and Holland entered constitutionalism by vehemently opposing the broader trend toward a form of government typified by an absolute monarchy.
Due to the long history of abusive absolutists and hereditary rulers in England, the government of the 17th century adopted a system of constitutionalism. Promoting these absolutist practices led to the requirement to look for a new kind of government. Throughout the Stuart era, England saw a transition from absolutism to constitutionalism. Following the success of Louis XIV's establishment of absolutism in France, England would soon observe James I and his son Charles I's failure to establish absolutism in England and the establishment of a constitutional government.[Gerhard Van der Schyff. Judicial review of legislation: a comparative study of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and South Africa. Vol. 5. Springer Science & Business Media, 2010.]
Holland and England were the two notable outliers to Europe's absolutism pattern. The Stadtholder was kept weak, and the municipal government was strong by Holland King Charles I of England, attempting to act more like an absolute king, and Parliament fought a civil war in England. When the Parliament triumphed, the king was put to death. The king's son, Charles II, was restored to the throne following Oliver Cromwell's demise. More unrest and a new revolution ensued in 1685 when Charles' brother James II assumed the throne. James and absolutism were finally overthrown a few years later, in 1689, during the "Glorious Revolution." The English-speaking world was put on a distinct political course from the rest of Europe after sixty years of conflict when constitutionalism ultimately became established in England, both in theory and in political actuality.