The Springs of Democracy: National and Transnational Debates on Constitutional Reform in the British, German, Swedish, and Finnish Parliaments, 1917–1919 by Pasi Ihalainen (review)

The final years and immediate aftermath of World War I (1917–1919) famously brought widespread political upheavals and reforms to much of Europe, generally understood by participants to represent advances in democracy (however problematically defined). Pasi Ihalainen's book, part of the Studia Fennica Historica series, is about constitutional changes during this period in four states: Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Finland. It is also about words, and their complicated relationship to action, since reforms were accompanied by lively debates over the concepts of democracy, the people, and the relative role of parliaments. This book is not another general narrative history published in commemoration of the centennial of these years; it is, instead, an admirably thorough, focused, and carefully constructed comparative analysis and conceptual history (Begriffsgeschichte). Readers who do not know the history of the period will find no more than the barest necessary background information, if even that. Still, for the already semi-enlightened, it is rewarding reading.

Digesting this book feels oddly mind-expanding in a way that resembles the effects of travel on growing world awareness. For example, suppose a person only really knows Sweden. That person could be forgiven for assuming that common styles of, say, apartment buildings, urban design, school traditions, political attitudes (you name it) found in that country are quintessentially and uniquely Swedish. Only after extensive travel (or its surrogate, study) might that person come to realize that much of "Swedish" culture seems remarkably similar to what one encounters in Germany—at least in comparison with the cultures of England or Italy, to say nothing of China. This affinity has deep historical roots, and it goes both ways, though more from Germany to Sweden than the reverse. The point is that the common historiographical habit of studying political reforms from the perspective of only one nation-state has tended to create a misinformed impression that particular reforms and concepts developed more independently within individual nations than they actually did.

One of Ihalainen's important contributions, therefore, is that he abundantly identifies and analyzes what he calls transnational influences in parliamentary political discourse and reform. In practice, transnationalism means that parliamentarians in the four countries were often keenly aware of circumstances in other countries and, to a greater or lesser degree, they were connected by networks of relationships and communication. They drew inspiration and support for their arguments from foreign examples, but they usually did so selectively and sometimes opportunistically, changing their focus with the shifting fortunes of war and politics. For example, Ihalainen documents how, during the war, most Swedish parliamentarians mainly looked to Germany for models and examples. As German defeat became inevitable, many Swedish politicians warmed up to Anglo-American notions of democracy and began to abandon their former standards of comparison.

Ihalainen's primary sources are mainly records of parliamentary speeches and debates, supplemented by related reports in the national and party presses. Careful not to overgeneralize beyond his subject, he maintains this focus rigorously throughout the book, which is perhaps fortunate; even within these limits, he has had to work with an enormous body of material (it took him 7 years to complete the nearly 600 pages). This tight focus adds to the originality of his research since many previous works tend to neglect or downplay the significance of parliamentary debate during the war period, when parliaments had limited influence in relation to war cabinets and government officials. The transparent methodology and focus could be emulated with many combinations of other states in various periods.

After a useful introduction, the book is organized by season (Spring 1917, Summer 1917, etc.), with each chapter containing an analysis of developments in each of the four countries, conveniently numbered and labeled. It is equipped, mercifully, with footnotes rather than endnotes, and it includes a handy parallel reference...