Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Naofumi" data-source="post: 47485" data-attributes="member: 39">3.8 PARLIAMENTARIANISMAmong the institutions that most clearly showed unmistakable signsof decay, even to the weak-sighted Philistine, was that which, of all theinstitutions of state, should have been the most firmly founded-I meanthe Parliament, or Reichsrat as it was called in Austria.The pattern for this corporate body was obviously that which existedin England, the land of classic &#039;democracy. &#039; The whole of that blissfulorganization was bodily transferred, unchanged, to Vienna.An Austrian counterpart to the British two-chamber system wasestablished: a Chamber of Deputies and a House of Lords. The &#039;houses&#039;themselves, considered as buildings, were somewhat different. When Barrybuilt his palaces on the shore of the Thames, he could look to the historyof the British Empire for his inspiration.2 In that history he found sufficientmaterial to fill and decorate the 1 ,200 niches, brackets, and pillars of hismagnificent edifice. The House of Lords and the House of Commonsbecame temples dedicated to the glory of the nation.This was when the first difficulty came for Vienna. When Hansen, theDanish architect, 3 completed the last gable of the marble palace, he turnedto the ancient classical world for subjects to fill out his decorative plan.This theatrical shrine of &#039;western democracy&#039; was adorned with the statuesand portraits of Greek and Roman statesmen and philosophers. As if insymbolic irony, the horses of the quadriga atop the two Houses are pullingapart in all four directions. There could be no better symbol for the kind ofactivity going on within the walls of that very building.The &#039;nationalities&#039; were opposed to any kind of glorification of Austrianhistory in the decoration of this building; they insisted that it wouldconstitute an offence to them. Much the same happened in Germany, whereWallot&#039;s Reichstag building was dedicated to the Germans only under thethunder of cannons in the World War-and then only in an inscription.I was not yet 20 when I first entered the Palace on the Franzensring towatch and listen in the Chamber of Deputies. That first experience arousedin me a profound feeling of repugnance.I always hated the Parliament, but not as an institution in itself. On thecontrary, as one who cherished ideals of political freedom, I couldn&#039;t even</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Naofumi, post: 47485, member: 39"] 3.8 PARLIAMENTARIANISM Among the institutions that most clearly showed unmistakable signs of decay, even to the weak-sighted Philistine, was that which, of all the institutions of state, should have been the most firmly founded-I mean the Parliament, or Reichsrat as it was called in Austria. The pattern for this corporate body was obviously that which existed in England, the land of classic 'democracy. ' The whole of that blissful organization was bodily transferred, unchanged, to Vienna. An Austrian counterpart to the British two-chamber system was established: a Chamber of Deputies and a House of Lords. The 'houses' themselves, considered as buildings, were somewhat different. When Barry built his palaces on the shore of the Thames, he could look to the history of the British Empire for his inspiration.2 In that history he found sufficient material to fill and decorate the 1 ,200 niches, brackets, and pillars of his magnificent edifice. The House of Lords and the House of Commons became temples dedicated to the glory of the nation. This was when the first difficulty came for Vienna. When Hansen, the Danish architect, 3 completed the last gable of the marble palace, he turned to the ancient classical world for subjects to fill out his decorative plan. This theatrical shrine of 'western democracy' was adorned with the statues and portraits of Greek and Roman statesmen and philosophers. As if in symbolic irony, the horses of the quadriga atop the two Houses are pulling apart in all four directions. There could be no better symbol for the kind of activity going on within the walls of that very building. The 'nationalities' were opposed to any kind of glorification of Austrian history in the decoration of this building; they insisted that it would constitute an offence to them. Much the same happened in Germany, where Wallot's Reichstag building was dedicated to the Germans only under the thunder of cannons in the World War-and then only in an inscription. I was not yet 20 when I first entered the Palace on the Franzensring to watch and listen in the Chamber of Deputies. That first experience aroused in me a profound feeling of repugnance. I always hated the Parliament, but not as an institution in itself. On the contrary, as one who cherished ideals of political freedom, I couldn't even [/QUOTE]

Name

Verification

Layout Options

Color Schemes

Reply to thread