Crisis and Constitutionalism argues that the late Roman Republic saw, for the first time in the history of political thought, the development of a normative concept of constitution--the concept of a set of constitutional norms designed to guarantee and achieve certain interests of the individual. Benjamin Straumann first explores how a Roman concept of constitution emerged out of the crisis and fall of the Roman Republic. The increasing use of emergency measures and extraordinary powers in the late Republic provoked Cicero and some of his contemporaries to turn a hitherto implicit, inchoate constitutionalism into explicit constitutional argument and theory. The crisis of the Republic thus brought about a powerful constitutionalism and convinced Cicero to articulate the norms and rights that would provide its substance; this typically Roman constitutional theory is described in the second part of the study. Straumann then discusses the reception of Roman constitutional thought up to the late eighteenth century and the American Founding, which gave rise to a new, constitutional republicanism. This tradition was characterized by a keen interest in the Roman Republic's decline and fall, and an insistence on the limits of virtue. The crisis of the Republic was interpreted as a constitutional crisis, and the only remedy to escape the Republic's fate--military despotism--was thought to lie, not in republican virtue, but in Roman constitutionalism. By tracing Roman constitutional thought from antiquity to the modern era, this unique study makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of Roman political thought and its reception. "Straumann's Crisis and Constitutionalism is an important contribution to a growing body of scholarship that is challenging conventional interpretations of Roman political thought [...] The work effectively both broadens and deepens our understanding of Roman political thought, challenging conventional interpretations and providing key insights into the final decades of the Roman republic." -- Dean Hammer, Franklin & Marshall College, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought "a critical book to consult about Roman political and legal thought. It uncovers a Roman constitutional tradition and how that tradition was received in the medieval and early modern period." -- Lee Trepanier, Voegelin View "Straumann has written a brilliant book [...] In Crisis and Constitutionalism , Straumann has challenged us to think much more deeply about constitutional theory and I look forward to discussing his arguments for years to come." --Michelle T. Clark, Dartmouth College, in New England Classical Journal "An important and welcome work on several levels. It offers learned interpretations of important political thinkers, including Cicero, Polybius, and Jean Bodin. The work transcends in importance any given interpretation of the thinkers it considers because it also engages in a scholarly debate, endeavouring to help correct what the author regards as a significant misunderstanding in the secondary literature that draws a strict distinction between 'classical republicanism' and liberalism ... An unusually learned and rich book." -- Vickie B. Sullivan, Global Intellectual History "In his ambitious and important book, Benjamin Straumann attributes the origins of constitutional thought in the European tradition to Cicero's writings of the fifties BC. He then traces the development of this thought through the Enlightenment to the debates that accompanied the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in the 1780s ... What sets Straumann's book apart ... is the depth of his argumentation about classical texts, his adroit reading of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), and his denial of 'constitutionalism' as a feature of the political thought of Plato or Aristotle." -- David Potter, Law and Liberty "Straumann succeeds in drawing attention to the legacy of Roman political thought, lending it an abiding importance for students of political institutions in any age." -- David Potter, Law and Liberty "Straumann's Crisis and Constitutionalism is an important contribution to a growing body of scholarship that is challenging conventional interpretations of Roman political thought. ... The work effectively both broadens and deepens our understanding of Roman political thought, challenging conventional interpretations and providing key insights into the final decades of the Roman republic." --Dean Hammer, Polis, The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought "The work effectively both broadens and deepens our understanding of Roman political thought, challenging conventional interpretations and providing key insights into the final decades of the Roman republic." --Dean Hammer, Polis, The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought "This well-written book will be of interest to political theorists, classicists, and historians. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and facult