chapter 38
...................................................................................................................................................POLITICAL
INSTITUTIONS—OLD
AND NEW
...................................................................................................................................................klaus von beyme
‘‘Political institutions—old and new’’ as a topic has two dimensions: The evolution
of old and new institutions and the reXection of these developments in political
theory. There is, however, an asymmetry of these dimensions.
1 From Old to New Institutions
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Few really ‘‘new institutions’’ developed in the three waves of democratization after
1789. The three major branches of public life existed not only in Montesquieu’s
theory, but their weight had shifted, especially in tune with the decline ofmonar-
chical power. TheWrst old institution which spread all over the world—with the
exception of the United Kingdom—was the ‘‘constitution,’’ mostly considered as an
emanation of the popular will, and since 1918 frequently submitted for ratiWcation