Contrasting Complaints about Parliamentarism in Western-Europe (1918-1939)

This contribution stresses that the points of criticism that are aimed against the parliamentary system often differ and sometimes even contradict each other. This applies both to the 1930s and to the first decade of the 21st century. The variety in the critique on parliament means that not all critics of parliament can be classified as ‘enemies of Parliament’ or as anti-democrats. While some critics indeed reject parliament altogether, others complain that the parliamentary system should be restored to its former glory, or should be drastically reformed. This means that we should distinguish between different forms of anti-parliamentarism. We might even conclude that some points of criticism were not meant as anti-parliamentarism, but as different views on parliamentarism. This perspective sheds new light on the attempts in the 1930s and the beginning of the 21st century to reform the models of representative democracy in Europe.