The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland (St. Antony's Series) [Paperback]

Mark Brzezinski (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312231962 | ISBN-13: 978-0312231965 | Publication Date: September 16, 2000

While a number of books document Polish social and political history, few works comprehensively chronicle Poland's long-term constitutional history, and even fewer analyze Poland's contemporary struggle to establish a constitutional democracy. This book, by examining the recent development of constitutionalism in Poland in the light of her deeper constitutional heritage, addresses both areas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'An indispensable addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in contemporary global political change.' - Legal Times 'An invaluable analysis of communist rule in Poland. '- The Washington Times 'First-rate scholarship on a subject of prime importance...A valuable work for anyone interested in the rise of new eastern Europe.' - Slavic Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Mark Brzezinski is a lawyer and political scientist in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312231962
• ISBN-13: 978-0312231965
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,631,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good!, February 25, 2001

By 

Tomasz Kolodziej (ZABRZE Poland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland (St. Antony's Series) (Hardcover)

I have read this book with a very long delay , but it was well worth it. Since I am a historian I will begin with some words to that unfavorable review that I have read. As a historian I find this book very good for two reasons. First, Mr.Brzezinski at least went to the trouble of providing a historical background for his work , which I have to say is not been a standard for American political scientists writing on Poland. Second, in his review he has shown that Polish constitutional history goes back a long way. One may argue that already articles of Henry of 1573 are the first constitution , as Mr.Brzezinski notes. This a very important aspect and a big plus for the book. May we let those few mistakes fall on the backs of the books editors, because they are really very minor and not taking away from the gist of the book. This as a historian. As a person , who after 15 years of living in USA now has spent two years in Poland I have to command Mr.Brzezinski on his insights that the Constitutional Court will become a strong independent institution in Polish life. As events have shown the Tribunal has consistently shown in its decisions to stay free of political pressure and become an oasis of good jurisprudence in the system full of corruption and inefficiency. I believe that this work is well written and Mr.Brzezinski should continue to disseminate knowledge about justice system in Poland with more works. Tomasz Kolodziej

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for the English Reader, May 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland (St. Antony's Series) (Hardcover)

Dr. Mark Brzezinski has done an excellent job in doing a research on Constitutionalism in Poland. I understand that Mark' book is for the English Reader outside of Poland. Dr. Brzezinski invested a few years of his life to study the issue of constitutionalism in Poland ( he is an American of the Polish background) and to work at the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland. I've had the opportunity to meet Mark on several ocassions and and I've done several radio and newspaper interviews with him. Dr. Brzezinski has done a superb job during every interview. In my personal opinion Dr. Mark Brzezinski is: *very disciplined scholar, *constitutional lawyer, *good strategic thinker *leader with an enormous potential - similar to his Father - who was former US National Security Advisor. One of Dr. Mark Brzezinski Academic Advisors at Oxford has been Dr. Z. Pelczynski - who has mentored many world leaders, including US President Bill Clinton during his Oxford' years. It is my strong personal conviction that Mark has scientific, ethical and leadership potential to serve humanity in the most responsible positions. Give him several more years to develop his potential. Andrew M.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on the rise of Constitutionalism in Poland, September 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland (St Antony's S.) (Hardcover)

I had the good fortune to come across Mr. Brzezinski's book on amazon.com. The greatest contribution that any scholar can make to the study of contemporary Central Europe politics is to provide a view on recent developments with a basic historical perspective. This is exactly what Mr. Brzezinski's book provides, even when considering the comments of the review below. One of the less regarded success stories of the post communist era is the triumph of the law of politics and Mr. Brzezinski's chapter on judicial review in Poland fills that gape in hole. We in Japan credit the awesome task Mr. Brzezinski has achieved for his book and we congratulate him for this much needed work. A reader from Japan