Rudolf Schlesinger - Federalism in Central and Eastern Europe

The International Library of Sociology

FEDERALISM
IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPE

Founded by KARL MANNHEIM

The International Library of Sociology

POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY
In 18 Volumes

by
RUDOLF SCHLESINGER

First published in 1945

by Routledge Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd

Reprinted in 1998 (three times), 1999, 2001

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Transferred to Digital Printing 2007

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

1945 Rudolf Schlesinger

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Federalism in Central and Eastern Europe

ISBN 0-415-17544-5

Political Sociology: 18 Volumes

ISBN 0-415-17820-7

The International Library of Sociology: 274 Volumes

ISBN 0-415-17838-X

Publisher's Note

The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent

PREFACE

At the eve of the war, during the last stages of which this book is being published, Federalism became highly fashionable among all kind of blue-printers, those who believed in the capacity of constitutional forms to solve all the fundamental issues of social life, as well as those who were on the look-out for new descriptions for rather old-fashioned political concepts. The second group of ideologists had their hey-day during the first stage of the war, as was very natural in the conditions in which it was started. They may be left to the criticism of historical experience. But in order to controvert what I believed to be the delusions of more progressively-minded blue-printers, I wrote, in the first months of 1940, an analysis of the general problems as well as of the experiments made with federal constitutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Part of this work was embodied in the book Russia and Her Western Neighbours which I published, in 1942, conjointly with Prof. G. W. Keeton.

In the autumn of 1941, Prof. Keeton and Dr. Schwarzenberger suggested me to make a more thorough study of the problems of Federalism in Central and Eastern Europe. By that time, interest in the various types of blue-prints had receded into the background. Once the U.S.S.R. had entered the war and, thus, the complete defeat of the New Order was secured, the inadequacy of the post-1919 patterns that had dominated most discussions on war-aims during the first phase of this war became obvious, and the real problems of the post-War order began to dominate the scene. What I have tried to contribute to the study of these problems is an analysis of the problems of democratic devolution arising from variety in social and cultural outlook, and of the limits within which such variety might be integrated by federal organisation. For an Austrian who has devoted much interest to the problems of the U.S.S.R. it was only natural that the problem of the multi-national state should occupy a central place in this study. I have restricted the detailed analysisas distinct from the general discussionto those countries in the political life of which I have had the opportunity to participate, and with the political experience and literature of which I have some acquaintance. It is for this reason that no special chapter is devoted to the problems of Yugoslavia, although that country seems to be most likely to provide the next successful experiment in federal organisation.

History moves quickly in our days. When this book took its final shape, in the first days of this year, the New Order was still in existence whilst, on the other hand, some concepts of post-War organisation discussed in this country were not yet so obviously refuted by historical events as to make it seem useless to devote some chapters to their criticism. I feel that there is little sense in changing what I have written in 1942 and 1943, for there is no guarantee that a text up to date in December 1944 would cover the conditions prevalent when this book reaches the reader. I desired to analyse pre-War historical experience, and to estimate the relative strength and prospects of social forces which continued to work through this war and will continue to work after it is over. If I have given a right estimate, the reader will be able to apply my conclusions to such concrete historical facts as will obtain when he reads this book. The New Order has gone; but the forces that supported the Quislings remain, and are on the look-out for a new orientation. The question of the eventual structure of post-War Europe seems to have been answered pretty clearly in the sense of the spheres of influence-pattern discussed in . But I prefer not to drop it, as various alternatives within that pattern are still open, and will remain so for some years to come. Some questions raised in connection with the Danubian countries may appear less topical when this book is published, than a few years later, when the nationalist atmosphere of war-propaganda will have settled down, but the problems remain.