Klemens von Metternich Quotes
What is called a constitution today is nothing but "get out so I can get in.
Klemens von Metternich, 1773-1859, Austrian Statesman & Diplomat, Letter from Vienna, September 15, 1821
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Metternich, the Chancellor of Austria under the Emperor was a very gifted and imposing diplomat. However he had little vision of the inevitable progress towards democracy and the liberalization of and limitation of the power of monarchs. His advice was on how to be better autocratic monarchs, not on how to reform and he saw no need for absolute monarchy to reform. He advocated press censorship and saw the press as a major enemy. See {630724}. The result was most of the monarchs who took his advice ended up being forced from power or required to cede much of their powers and “rights”. The English monarchs, after their disastrous civil war and its aftermath, in contrast, often led the reform to a constitutional monarchy where the powers and rights of the monarch was defined and limited by a Constitution. Victoria was one of the greatest of the English reforming monarchs, and saw Metternich’s conservatism as responsible for most of the disasters that befell the crowned heads of Europe while she had no such problems. See {607340} for Metternich’s negative view of Constitution.
The English Constitution is not as binding on the English government as is the Amercan Constitution. In the English system, the government in power can override the constitution although the rarely do so out of respect for the system. In America, the Constitution is much more controlling and hence would be seen to count for more. In many third world countries, the ruler can “suspend” the constitution in a national emergency.
Citizen of U. S. & Israel
There are many countries that adhere to a rule of law, for which their Constitution is the fundamental document providing a framework for their legal system which is adhered to. A few nations which are strong adherents to the rule of law, but have no constitution; the instead have a very strong system of Common Law which establishes their legal precedents and a legislative tradition of restraint which provides fixed principles (Great Britain and Israel are two good examples). But the biggest problem for many countries in not adhering to the rule of law, is having a written constitution and then ignoring it when making legal decisions for the nation, Balaguer’s quotation here is typical of the attitude which causes nations with fine constitutions to function without any serious adherence to rule of law.
In a 1949 dissenting opinion in Terminiello v. Chicago Jackson claimed the majority view would “convert the Bill of Rights into a suicide pact.”
- Born: May 15, 1773
- Died: June 12, 1859
- Nationality: Austrian
- Profession: Politician
Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein, was an Austrian diplomat who was at the center of European affairs for three decades as the Austrian Empire's foreign minister from 1809 and Chancellor from 1821 until the liberal Revolutions of 1848 forced his resignation.
