The constitutional consequences of the peace: a short outline of Post-World War I constitutionalism, a century later

Le conseguenze costituzionali della pace: una breve descrizione del costituzionalismo del primo dopoguerra, un secolo dopo

Abstract

This essay outlines the context of the Post-World War I European constitutionalism in which the Turkish constitution of 1924 must be situated. The impact of World War I on the constitutions of the European States was extremely relevant and produced a wave of new constitutions adopted in the newly independent States and in the defeated Powers. At the same time, a series of constitutional reforms was adopted in the victorious European States. While there are common trends to the constitutional novelties of the post-war years (universal male suffrage, proportional representation, rationalization of the parliamentary system, procedures of direct democracy, first attempts of constitutional justice, introduction of social rights in the constitutional texts, etc.), the task of State building and of constitutional founding proved to be extremely challenging. The lack of maturity in democratic culture was in many cases an obstacle to the consolidation of the new institutions.