Jonathan Sumption

A written constitution is no defence against authoritarian government

Linda Colley describes countless constitutions filled with laudable provisions — which could be subverted entirely legally by any autocratic ruler

The first constitution of Saint-Domingue, in 1801, abolished slavery and established Toussaint l’Ouverture as Governor for Life. Credit: Bridgeman Images 
issue 10 April 2021
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  • The Gun, the Ship and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions and the Making of the Modern World

    Linda Colley

    Profile Books, pp. 512, £25

No one can accuse Linda Colley of shying away from big subjects. This one is as big as they come — nothing less than an exploration of the origin of written constitutions. It is built around two ideas. One is that the development of national constitutions has to be studied globally, not nationally.

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