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Bokrug †: Municipality freedom and democracy
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Municipality freedom and democracy
Adolf Gassers baselines of an ethical stories view
of Dr. phil. René Roca, historian
Swiss historian Adolf Gasser (1903 to 1985) proceeds from the basic assumption that democracy is, but a fragile achievement grown historically. In its Hauptwerk “municipality freedom as rescue of Europe” 1 and in many further contributions he thinks fundamental, as one can define the term “democracy” as comprehensively as possible. Thereby the municipality freedom is fundamental for it. The term of the municipality freedom has a historical, an ethical and an educational dimension for Gasser. “In the next expenditures Gassers aspect of a comprehensive democracy definition will publish matters of time”. The first part will be dedicated to the historical dimension of the municipality freedom, follows the ethical dimension, which is continued to implement in the next expenditure.
Starting point of Gassers theoretical considerations is a historical paper over “recovers and fragile democracies” in Europe after the First World War.
1. The historical dimension of the municipality freedom
1919 was characterised all European states up to the Russian border by democratic structures. But in the next two decades the democratic beginnings already disappeared again in favor of authoritarian or totalitarian systems of government in many states. This was to be particularly observed at states, which had introduced a democracy for the first time after the First World War. Gasser sees the principal reason for this “mass dying of European democracies” not in outside, but in inside political problems. The democracy failed particularly in those states, in which it did not succeed to bring freedom and order into a “organic compound”. Those states, which exhibited a specifically coined/shaped democratic tradition, resisted despite world economic crisis and the Second World War the totalitarian temptation. Beside the anglo-saxon countries the USA and Great Britain ranked among it the Scandinavian states, Holland and Switzerland. This, so Gasser, proves that it gives two kinds of democracies, recovers and fragile:
“One malfunctioned from there before the statement to guard to have, it the democracy somehow as such or with their linked economic system. Rather one must note: The uniform term ‹the democracy› is a plentifully life-strange abstraction. In reality the term democracy, like all other social auxiliary terms, points another nature contents from country to country. ‹Democracy› and ‹democracy› almost entirely different things can be despite agreeing outward condition characteristics, particularly the spirit-political attitude of the individual peoples is determining for their nature regulation. With other words: Democracy is in the last reason not at all a thing of the system of government, but a thing of the people convicition. ” 2
Thus a characteristic is described for Gasser, which makes it possible to differentiate between the healthy and the fragile democracies at any time clearly. The terms “spirit-political attitude” and “people convicition” illuminate an ethical dimension of the democracy. This dimension is not idealistically superelevated or ideologically shortened with Gasser, but links with a fundamental structural characteristic. This characteristic is the organization of the local and regional autonomy. All healthy democracies, so differently it also arranged are, have a “Alta-come and extremely life-strong self-government of their local and regional Unterverbände. Widespread decentralization of the administration: that is the crucial special characteristic of these ‹old-free republics›. ” 3
In contrast between decentralized and centralistic management system Gasser sees the key to the problem, why one democracies did not have success and existence and the others.
Starting point of the decentralized public administration is for Gasser the free municipality, which possesses genossenschaftliche roots. The cooperative as “a completely particularly finely organized ordering element” 4 defines itself by the three so-called “even”: Autonomy, self-determination and self-help. If kind of such arranged free municipalities grow together to a commonwealth, then this state is federal, thus decentralized developed. The human dimension in this structure must be carried by certain ethical principles. Humans grow on their specific cultural background into these structures, mint them and develop them further. The ethical principles lend whole stability, security and predictability:
“State formations, which grew from bottom to top and which represent idea of the autonomy, are regularly community of completely special kind; because they are held together primarily by mental-moral forces and only besides by power-politics clips. ” 5
2. The ethical dimension of the municipality freedom
Gasser tries to seize the ethical dimension with the description of different principles more clearly. He speaks in this connection of a “non-partisan people convicition”, a “genuine citizen spirit”, a kind “synthesis of civil watchfulness on and civil self-discipline on the other side. ” 6 this mental-moral dimension does not leave itself simply with a written condition artificially would bring in. It does not follow also automatically, because a municipality is free. In order to fill out this dimension humanly, it needs values, which put in education and within the political range to be before-lived to have. The free municipality, so Gasser, educates the citizens not to quantitative, but to qualitative state thinking. This important element shows the municipality as “autonomous small area”, when “citizen school” 7 creates and in an educational purchase, which develops on values, in addition, values.
“The free municipality forms above all also therefore an indispensable school for freedom and democracy, because it is an organization cut to the measure of humans. Only in a clear, lifenear community the average citizen is able itself to acquire, which one as political estimation by sight, when sense for the correct proportions tends to designate. ” 8
In the following is to be tried, the different ethical principles, which Gasser in its writings calls, to describe more exactly.
2.1 the principle of the co-ordination
National community life is possible only in the context of an order principle. The two possible order principles are the principle of the Subordination and that the co-ordination. In other words the principle of the herrschaftlichen command administration and that face each other the genossenschaftlichen autonomy.
“Either the national order becomes secured by a obrigkeitlichen command and power apparatus, or then it is based on the free social will of a people collectivity. ” 9
In the first case the structure of the state takes place essentially from top to bottom, in the second case from bottom to top. Either humans to instructing and most must get accustomed to obeying, or they are carried from the will to free co-operation. Gasser mentions in this connection that naturally combinations existed, but all examples showed a certain tendency towards one of the two order principles.
The contrast “rule - cooperative” is the most important for Gasser, which social history knows. It lights up the most elementary bases of the human community life and has mental-moral consequences. With the reference to the European absolutism Gasser describes the rule spirit. The absolutist rulers aimed at the national summary of larger areas. In addition they needed a military-bureaucratic central apparatus seperate of the people. Most states of Europe were subjected to such a administrative centralism at that time, and that in such a way remained after Gasser to beyond the Second World War:
“At that time [in 17. /18. Jh.] developed the system by upper ago led, of an official hierarchy equipped with own obligation and power of punishment - and at this official-national Autoritarismus the festländische liberalism nor festländische socialism dared to shake seriously in the consequence neither. ” 10
Important characteristic of the administrative centralism is civil servants used from the top. A non-resident bureaucracy equipped with comprehensive command authority settles so most regional and local administrative business.
The cooperative idea however is rooted in the small area. Here the small, clear volume unit of the municipality to carrying and the descriptive principle of the co-ordination, which can develop to a nation state thing, come:
“More spacious state bodies of nation state Gepräge could up-grow only in genossenschaftlichem spirit if they came out from a joining of free, fit-to-fight people municipalities. ” 11 •
1 Gasser, Adolf: Municipality freedom as rescue of Europe. 2., strongly edition, Basel extended baselines of an ethical stories view, 1947, P. 7-12.
2 Gasser, municipality freedom, S. 10.
3 Gasser, municipality freedom, S. 10f.
4 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 15.
5 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 17.
6 Gasser, Adolf: Citizen joint responsibility as basis of genuine democracy, in: ders.: National region and autonomous small areas, Basel 1976, P. 43.
7 Gasser, Adolf: National region and autonomous small areas, Basel 1976, P. 147.
8 Gasser, Adolf: Swiss municipality as citizen school, in: ders.: National region and autonomous small areas, Basel 1976, P. 86.
9 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 12.
10 Gasser, Adolf: The way to the continuing democratization of Europe, supplement (1949), in: ders.: History of the people freedom and democracy, 2nd edition, Aarau 1949, P. 228.
11 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 14.
top Nr.45 from 8.11.2006 © the 2006 cooperative matters of time
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Municipality freedom and democracy
Adolf Gassers baselines of an ethical stories view
of Dr. phil. René Roca, historian
Swiss historian Adolf Gasser (1903 to 1985) proceeds from the basic assumption that democracy is, but a fragile achievement grown historically. In its Hauptwerk “municipality freedom as rescue of Europe” 1 and in many further contributions he thinks fundamental, as one can define the term “democracy” as comprehensively as possible. Thereby the municipality freedom is fundamental for it. The term of the municipality freedom has a historical, an ethical and an educational dimension for Gasser. “In the next expenditures Gassers aspect of a comprehensive democracy definition will publish matters of time”. The first part will be dedicated to the historical dimension of the municipality freedom, follows the ethical dimension, which is continued to implement in the next expenditure.
Starting point of Gassers theoretical considerations is a historical paper over “recovers and fragile democracies” in Europe after the First World War.
1. The historical dimension of the municipality freedom
1919 was characterised all European states up to the Russian border by democratic structures. But in the next two decades the democratic beginnings already disappeared again in favor of authoritarian or totalitarian systems of government in many states. This was to be particularly observed at states, which had introduced a democracy for the first time after the First World War. Gasser sees the principal reason for this “mass dying of European democracies” not in outside, but in inside political problems. The democracy failed particularly in those states, in which it did not succeed to bring freedom and order into a “organic compound”. Those states, which exhibited a specifically coined/shaped democratic tradition, resisted despite world economic crisis and the Second World War the totalitarian temptation. Beside the anglo-saxon countries the USA and Great Britain ranked among it the Scandinavian states, Holland and Switzerland. This, so Gasser, proves that it gives two kinds of democracies, recovers and fragile:
“One malfunctioned from there before the statement to guard to have, it the democracy somehow as such or with their linked economic system. Rather one must note: The uniform term ‹the democracy› is a plentifully life-strange abstraction. In reality the term democracy, like all other social auxiliary terms, points another nature contents from country to country. ‹Democracy› and ‹democracy› almost entirely different things can be despite agreeing outward condition characteristics, particularly the spirit-political attitude of the individual peoples is determining for their nature regulation. With other words: Democracy is in the last reason not at all a thing of the system of government, but a thing of the people convicition. ” 2
Thus a characteristic is described for Gasser, which makes it possible to differentiate between the healthy and the fragile democracies at any time clearly. The terms “spirit-political attitude” and “people convicition” illuminate an ethical dimension of the democracy. This dimension is not idealistically superelevated or ideologically shortened with Gasser, but links with a fundamental structural characteristic. This characteristic is the organization of the local and regional autonomy. All healthy democracies, so differently it also arranged are, have a “Alta-come and extremely life-strong self-government of their local and regional Unterverbände. Widespread decentralization of the administration: that is the crucial special characteristic of these ‹old-free republics›. ” 3
In contrast between decentralized and centralistic management system Gasser sees the key to the problem, why one democracies did not have success and existence and the others.
Starting point of the decentralized public administration is for Gasser the free municipality, which possesses genossenschaftliche roots. The cooperative as “a completely particularly finely organized ordering element” 4 defines itself by the three so-called “even”: Autonomy, self-determination and self-help. If kind of such arranged free municipalities grow together to a commonwealth, then this state is federal, thus decentralized developed. The human dimension in this structure must be carried by certain ethical principles. Humans grow on their specific cultural background into these structures, mint them and develop them further. The ethical principles lend whole stability, security and predictability:
“State formations, which grew from bottom to top and which represent idea of the autonomy, are regularly community of completely special kind; because they are held together primarily by mental-moral forces and only besides by power-politics clips. ” 5
2. The ethical dimension of the municipality freedom
Gasser tries to seize the ethical dimension with the description of different principles more clearly. He speaks in this connection of a “non-partisan people convicition”, a “genuine citizen spirit”, a kind “synthesis of civil watchfulness on and civil self-discipline on the other side. ” 6 this mental-moral dimension does not leave itself simply with a written condition artificially would bring in. It does not follow also automatically, because a municipality is free. In order to fill out this dimension humanly, it needs values, which put in education and within the political range to be before-lived to have. The free municipality, so Gasser, educates the citizens not to quantitative, but to qualitative state thinking. This important element shows the municipality as “autonomous small area”, when “citizen school” 7 creates and in an educational purchase, which develops on values, in addition, values.
“The free municipality forms above all also therefore an indispensable school for freedom and democracy, because it is an organization cut to the measure of humans. Only in a clear, lifenear community the average citizen is able itself to acquire, which one as political estimation by sight, when sense for the correct proportions tends to designate. ” 8
In the following is to be tried, the different ethical principles, which Gasser in its writings calls, to describe more exactly.
2.1 the principle of the co-ordination
National community life is possible only in the context of an order principle. The two possible order principles are the principle of the Subordination and that the co-ordination. In other words the principle of the herrschaftlichen command administration and that face each other the genossenschaftlichen autonomy.
“Either the national order becomes secured by a obrigkeitlichen command and power apparatus, or then it is based on the free social will of a people collectivity. ” 9
In the first case the structure of the state takes place essentially from top to bottom, in the second case from bottom to top. Either humans to instructing and most must get accustomed to obeying, or they are carried from the will to free co-operation. Gasser mentions in this connection that naturally combinations existed, but all examples showed a certain tendency towards one of the two order principles.
The contrast “rule - cooperative” is the most important for Gasser, which social history knows. It lights up the most elementary bases of the human community life and has mental-moral consequences. With the reference to the European absolutism Gasser describes the rule spirit. The absolutist rulers aimed at the national summary of larger areas. In addition they needed a military-bureaucratic central apparatus seperate of the people. Most states of Europe were subjected to such a administrative centralism at that time, and that in such a way remained after Gasser to beyond the Second World War:
“At that time [in 17. /18. Jh.] developed the system by upper ago led, of an official hierarchy equipped with own obligation and power of punishment - and at this official-national Autoritarismus the festländische liberalism nor festländische socialism dared to shake seriously in the consequence neither. ” 10
Important characteristic of the administrative centralism is civil servants used from the top. A non-resident bureaucracy equipped with comprehensive command authority settles so most regional and local administrative business.
The cooperative idea however is rooted in the small area. Here the small, clear volume unit of the municipality to carrying and the descriptive principle of the co-ordination, which can develop to a nation state thing, come:
“More spacious state bodies of nation state Gepräge could up-grow only in genossenschaftlichem spirit if they came out from a joining of free, fit-to-fight people municipalities. ” 11 •
1 Gasser, Adolf: Municipality freedom as rescue of Europe. 2., strongly edition, Basel extended baselines of an ethical stories view, 1947, P. 7-12.
2 Gasser, municipality freedom, S. 10.
3 Gasser, municipality freedom, S. 10f.
4 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 15.
5 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 17.
6 Gasser, Adolf: Citizen joint responsibility as basis of genuine democracy, in: ders.: National region and autonomous small areas, Basel 1976, P. 43.
7 Gasser, Adolf: National region and autonomous small areas, Basel 1976, P. 147.
8 Gasser, Adolf: Swiss municipality as citizen school, in: ders.: National region and autonomous small areas, Basel 1976, P. 86.
9 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 12.
10 Gasser, Adolf: The way to the continuing democratization of Europe, supplement (1949), in: ders.: History of the people freedom and democracy, 2nd edition, Aarau 1949, P. 228.
11 Gasser, municipality freedom, P. 14.
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