Pluralism, syndicalism and corporatism: Léon Duguit and the crisis of the state (1900-25)

History of European Ideas

Volumn 22, Issue 3, 1996, Pages 227-244

  Laborde, Cécile ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

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EID: 0030141117     PISSN: 01916599     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/0191-6599(96)00003-4     Document Type: Article

References (131)

1. 1. H.S. Jones, The French State in Question. Public Law and Political Argument in the Third Republic (Cambridge, 1993).
2. 2. K. Dyson, The State Tradition in Western Europe (Oxford, 1980).
3. 3. P.C. Schmitter, 'Still the century of corporatism?', The Review of Politics 36 (1) (January 1974), pp. 85-131.
4. 4. Ibid., pp. 93-98.
5. 5. Léon Duguit (1859-1928) received his doctorate and aggrégation from the law faculty of Bordeaux, where he was elected Professor in 1886, and remained for the rest of his career. His Traité de Droit Constitutionnel of 1914 became a textbook used by generations of students.
6. 6. M. DeWolfe Howe (Ed.), Holmes-Laski Letters (London, 1963), Chap. I, p. 105.
7. 7. L. Duguit, 'The Law and the State', Harvard Law Review 21 (1917), 6; for his elaborate critique of Rousseau, Kant and Hegel, see ibid., pp. 27-102.
8. 7. L. Duguit, 'The Law and the State', Harvard Law Review 21 (1917), 6; for his elaborate critique of Rousseau, Kant and Hegel, see ibid., pp. 27-102.
9. 8. L. Duguit, Le Droit social, le droit individuel et la transformation de l'Etat (Paris, 1908), p. 55.
10. 9. L. Duguit, Traité de droit constitutionnel (Paris 1921-25), 2nd edn, Vol. I, p. 407.
11. 10. Cited in Duguit, Law and the State, p. 9.
12. 11. Ibid., pp. 119-44.
13. 12. The term is, however, misleading as it can be confused with 'legal positivism', a view which holds that the only meaningful law is that enacted by legitimate authorities. What Duguit was more precisely looking for was a science of public law built upon a purely 'experimental' foundation.
14. 13. Duguit recognised Durkheim's influence throughout his life. See, for example, his Manuel de droit public (Paris, 1907), p. 10 and Souveraineté et Liberté (Paris, 1922), p. 147.
15. 13. Duguit recognised Durkheim's influence throughout his life. See, for example, his Manuel de droit public (Paris, 1907), p. 10 and Souveraineté et Liberté (Paris, 1922), p. 147.
16. 14. J.E.S. Hayward, 'Solidarist Syndicalism: Durkheim and Duguit. Part II', Sociological Review, 8 (1960) 187, 192.
17. 15. Fouillée argued that society was at the same time a natural organism and a result of contract, what he called a 'contractual organism'. See, e.g. his La science sociale contemporaine (Paris, 1880), p. xii.
18. 16. Duguit, Traité, Vol. II, p. 90.
19. 17. L. Duguit, L'Etat, le droit objectif et la loi positive (Paris, 1901), p. 36.
20. 18. E. Durkheim, Professional Ethics and Civil Morals (London, 1957), p. 50.
21. For various views on Durkheim and the state, see, esp., P. Birnbaum, 'La conception durkheimienne de l'Etat: l'apolitisme des fonctionnaires', Revue française de sociologie 17 (1976) 247-258; L.A. Coser, 'Durkheim's conservatism', p. 221 and M. Richter, 'Durkheim's politics and political theory', pp. 270-210, in K.W. Wolff (Ed) Essays in Sociology and Philosophy. Emile Durkheim (New York, 1960);
22. For various views on Durkheim and the state, see, esp., P. Birnbaum, 'La conception durkheimienne de l'Etat: l'apolitisme des fonctionnaires', Revue française de sociologie 17 (1976) 247-258; L.A. Coser, 'Durkheim's conservatism', p. 221 and M. Richter, 'Durkheim's politics and political theory', pp. 270-210, in K.W. Wolff (Ed) Essays in Sociology and Philosophy. Emile Durkheim (New York, 1960);
23. For various views on Durkheim and the state, see, esp., P. Birnbaum, 'La conception durkheimienne de l'Etat: l'apolitisme des fonctionnaires', Revue française de sociologie 17 (1976) 247-258; L.A. Coser, 'Durkheim's conservatism', p. 221 and M. Richter, 'Durkheim's politics and political theory', pp. 270-210, in K.W. Wolff (Ed) Essays in Sociology and Philosophy. Emile Durkheim (New York, 1960);
24. B. Lacroix, Durkheim et le politique (Paris, 1981); A. Giddens, Durkheim on Politics and the State (Cambridge, 1986), B.S. Turner, preface to Professional Ethics (London, 1992).
25. B. Lacroix, Durkheim et le politique (Paris, 1981); A. Giddens, Durkheim on Politics and the State (Cambridge, 1986), B.S. Turner, preface to Professional Ethics (London, 1992).
26. B. Lacroix, Durkheim et le politique (Paris, 1981); A. Giddens, Durkheim on Politics and the State (Cambridge, 1986), B.S. Turner, preface to Professional Ethics (London, 1992).
27. 19. Duguit, Traité, Vol. I, pp. 43-49; Chap. II, p. 57.
28. 19. Duguit, Traité, Vol. I, pp. 43-49; Chap. II, p. 57.
29. 20. Ibid., pp. 59, 438.
30. 21. Ibid., p. 62.
31. 22. L. Duguit, Les transformations du droit public (Paris, 1913), pp. 222-278.
32. 23. Ibid., pp. 52-53.
33. 24. Duguit, Droit social, p. 41.
34. 25. Léon Duguit, 'L'élection des Sénateurs', Revue de droit public V (1895), p. 463.
35. 26. Duguit, Droit public, pp. 20-21, p. 122. The Chapelier law had forbidden workers' coalitions.
36. 27. Duguit, 'L'élection des Sénateurs', pp. 464, 466. See also Durkheim: 'A society composed of an infinite number of unorganised individuals, which a hypertrophied State is forced to oppress and contain, constitutes a veritable sociological monstrosity'. Preface to the second edition of The Division of Labour in Society (New York, 1964), p. 28.
37. 27. Duguit, 'L'élection des Sénateurs', pp. 464, 466. See also Durkheim: 'A society composed of an infinite number of unorganised individuals, which a hypertrophied State is forced to oppress and contain, constitutes a veritable sociological monstrosity'. Preface to the second edition of The Division of Labour in Society (New York, 1964), p. 28.
38. 28. Duguit, L'Etat, pp. 59-60.
39. 29. Duguit, Manuel, p. 283.
40. 30. L. Duguit, 'La représentation syndicale au Parlement', Revue politique et parlementaire 64 (1911) 32.
41. 31. Durkheim's Division of Labour was a response both to Spencer, who held that a exclusively individualistic society based on contract could be stable, and to Tönnies, who feared, on the contrary, that modern Gessellschaft-like societies were fundamentally unstable because they lacked any sense of solidarity. Durkheim's picture of 'mechanical' and 'organic' types of solidarity reversed Tönnies's dichotomy and sought to reconcile individualism and solidarity.
42. 32. Durkheim, Professional Ethics, pp. 7-38; Division of Labour, pp. 5-6.
43. 32. Durkheim, Professional Ethics, pp. 7-38; Division of Labour, pp. 5-6.
44. 33. Duguit, Traité, Vol. V, p. 617.
45. 34. Duguit, Droit public, pp. 128-129.
46. 35. Duguit, Droit public, p. 123.
47. 36. On the development of regional rules, see ibid, pp. 104-108; on decentralised services, ibid., pp. 111-119.
48. 36. On the development of regional rules, see ibid, pp. 104-108; on decentralised services, ibid., pp. 111-119.
49. 37. Duguit, Traité, Vol. I, p. 92.
50. 38. Duguit, Droit social, pp. 105-118.
51. 39. Duguit, 'L'élection des Sénateurs', p. 463.
52. 40. Ibid., On Duguit's scheme, see M.P. Markovitch, La doctrine sociale de Duguit. Ses idées sur le syndicalisme et la représentation professionnelle (Paris, 1933), pp. 59-82.
53. 41. Duguit, 'L'élection des Sénateurs', p. 463.
54. 42. Cf. The special issue of the Archives de philosphie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; and W.Y. Elliott, The Pragmatic Revolt in Politics. Syndicalism, Fascism and the Constitutional State (New York, 1928); G. Gurvitch, L'idée de droit social. Notion et système du droit social. Histoire doctrinale depuis le 17ème siècle jusqu'à la fin du 19ème siècle (Paris, 1932); Markovitch, Doctrine sociale; M. Simonovitch, Les théories contemporaines de l'Etat (Paris, 1939).
55. 42. Cf. The special issue of the Archives de philosphie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; and W.Y. Elliott, The Pragmatic Revolt in Politics. Syndicalism, Fascism and the Constitutional State (New York, 1928); G. Gurvitch, L'idée de droit social. Notion et système du droit social. Histoire doctrinale depuis le 17ème siècle jusqu'à la fin du 19ème siècle (Paris, 1932); Markovitch, Doctrine sociale; M. Simonovitch, Les théories contemporaines de l'Etat (Paris, 1939).
56. 42. Cf. The special issue of the Archives de philosphie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; and W.Y. Elliott, The Pragmatic Revolt in Politics. Syndicalism, Fascism and the Constitutional State (New York, 1928); G. Gurvitch, L'idée de droit social. Notion et système du droit social. Histoire doctrinale depuis le 17ème siècle jusqu'à la fin du 19ème siècle (Paris, 1932); Markovitch, Doctrine sociale; M. Simonovitch, Les théories contemporaines de l'Etat (Paris, 1939).
57. 42. Cf. The special issue of the Archives de philosphie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; and W.Y. Elliott, The Pragmatic Revolt in Politics. Syndicalism, Fascism and the Constitutional State (New York, 1928); G. Gurvitch, L'idée de droit social. Notion et système du droit social. Histoire doctrinale depuis le 17ème siècle jusqu'à la fin du 19ème siècle (Paris, 1932); Markovitch, Doctrine sociale; M. Simonovitch, Les théories contemporaines de l'Etat (Paris, 1939).
58. 43. Duguit, L'Etat, pp. 91-92.
59. 44. Duguit, Souverainté, p. 134.
60. 45. Ibid., p. 145.
61. 46. R. Bonnard, 'Les idées de L. Duguit sur les valeurs sociales', pp. 17-19, L. Le Fur, 'Le fondement du droit dans la doctrine de Léon Duguit', p. 195; and H. Laski, 'La conception de l'Etat de L. Duguit' pp. 126-7, in Archives de philosophie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; J. Bonnecase, La pensée juridique française de 1804 à l'heure présente (Bordeaux, 1993), p. 99; Elliott, Pragmatic Revolt, p. 73.
62. 46. R. Bonnard, 'Les idées de L. Duguit sur les valeurs sociales', pp. 17-19, L. Le Fur, 'Le fondement du droit dans la doctrine de Léon Duguit', p. 195; and H. Laski, 'La conception de l'Etat de L. Duguit' pp. 126-7, in Archives de philosophie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; J. Bonnecase, La pensée juridique française de 1804 à l'heure présente (Bordeaux, 1993), p. 99; Elliott, Pragmatic Revolt, p. 73.
63. 46. R. Bonnard, 'Les idées de L. Duguit sur les valeurs sociales', pp. 17-19, L. Le Fur, 'Le fondement du droit dans la doctrine de Léon Duguit', p. 195; and H. Laski, 'La conception de l'Etat de L. Duguit' pp. 126-7, in Archives de philosophie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; J. Bonnecase, La pensée juridique française de 1804 à l'heure présente (Bordeaux, 1993), p. 99; Elliott, Pragmatic Revolt, p. 73.
64. 46. R. Bonnard, 'Les idées de L. Duguit sur les valeurs sociales', pp. 17-19, L. Le Fur, 'Le fondement du droit dans la doctrine de Léon Duguit', p. 195; and H. Laski, 'La conception de l'Etat de L. Duguit' pp. 126-7, in Archives de philosophie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; J. Bonnecase, La pensée juridique française de 1804 à l'heure présente (Bordeaux, 1993), p. 99; Elliott, Pragmatic Revolt, p. 73.
65. 46. R. Bonnard, 'Les idées de L. Duguit sur les valeurs sociales', pp. 17-19, L. Le Fur, 'Le fondement du droit dans la doctrine de Léon Duguit', p. 195; and H. Laski, 'La conception de l'Etat de L. Duguit' pp. 126-7, in Archives de philosophie du droit et de sociologie juridique (1932), Vol. I; J. Bonnecase, La pensée juridique française de 1804 à l'heure présente (Bordeaux, 1993), p. 99; Elliott, Pragmatic Revolt, p. 73.
66. 47. L. Duguit, Les transformation générales du droit privé (Paris, 1920), 2nd edn, p. 189.
67. 48. Bonnecase, Pensée juridique, p. 199; Le Fur, Fondements du droit, p. 1787; Simonovitch, Théories contemporaines, p. 221.
68. 48. Bonnecase, Pensée juridique, p. 199; Le Fur, Fondements du droit, p. 1787; Simonovitch, Théories contemporaines, p. 221.
69. 48. Bonnecase, Pensée juridique, p. 199; Le Fur, Fondements du droit, p. 1787; Simonovitch, Théories contemporaines, p. 221.
70. 49. cf. E. Pisier-Kouchner, Le service public dams la théorie de l'Etat de Léon Duguit (Paris, 1972) on Duguit's ultimately limited conception of state responsibility and judicial review.
71. 50. Duguit, L'Etat, p. 301.
72. 51. Elliott, Pragmatic Revolt, pp. 266-305.
73. 52. Duguit, Traité, Vol. II, p. 84.
74. 53. Ibid., p. 55.
75. 54. Duguit, Droit public, p. 47.
76. 55. Ibid., p. 49.
77. 56. Duguit, Droit social, p. 57.
78. 57. Duguit, Droit public, p. 31. On this point, see Pisier-Kouchner, Service public, pp. 262-287. The idea of the 'unity' of law could, of course, be interpreted in two ways. It could be either the syndicalist idea of the 'privatization' of public law, or the Durkhemian idea that all law was social, therefore public, and that each citizen was, in varying degrees, a 'functionary of society'. Duguit wavered uneasily between the idea of the distinctiveness of the public sphere in his legal theory, and the Durkheimian conception in his political sociology (see his functionalist analysis of society, below).
79. 57. Duguit, Droit public, p. 31. On this point, see Pisier-Kouchner, Service public, pp. 262-287. The idea of the 'unity' of law could, of course, be interpreted in two ways. It could be either the syndicalist idea of the 'privatization' of public law, or the Durkhemian idea that all law was social, therefore public, and that each citizen was, in varying degrees, a 'functionary of society'. Duguit wavered uneasily between the idea of the distinctiveness of the public sphere in his legal theory, and the Durkheimian conception in his political sociology (see his functionalist analysis of society, below).
80. 58. Duguit, Traité, Vol. III, p. 90.
81. 59. Ibid., pp. 12-13.
82. 60. J. Donzelot, L'invention du social. Essai sur le déclin des passions politiques (Paris, 1994), 2nd edn, p. 77 and passim.
83. 61. M.N. Redor, De l'Etat légal à l'Etat de droit. L'évolution des conceptions de la doctrine publiciste française, 1870-1914 (Paris, 1992), pp. 29, 79-83.
84. 62. Ibid., p. 179 and passim.
85. 63. cf. Durkheim: 'the state should not simply arrive at what society is thinking, but discover what is in its best interests', Professional Ethics, p. 92.
86. 64. Jones, French State.
87. 65. Duguit, Droit social, pp. 133-4.
88. 66. See L. Duguit, 'Les syndicats de fonctionnaires', Revue politique et parlementaire 46 (1906) 28-30.
89. 67. See, esp., M. Leroy, Les transformations de la puissance publique (Paris, 1907), Syndicats et services publics (Paris, 1909).
90. 67. See, esp., M. Leroy, Les transformations de la puissance publique (Paris, 1907), Syndicats et services publics (Paris, 1909).
91. 68. Duguit, Traité, Vol. III, pp. 217-248.
92. 69. Ibid., pp. 202-217.
93. 70. Ibid., Vol. I, p. 149.
94. 71. Ibid., Vol. III, p. 109.
95. 72. Ibid., Vol. I, pp. 112-116
96. 73. Ibid., Vol. III, p. 62.
97. 74. Ibid., Vol. III, p. 102.
98. 75. Ibid., Vol. III, pp. 58-102.
99. 76. Duguit was thus closer to the Durkheimian view than to the syndicalist view. cf. E. Pisier-Kouchner, 'Perspective sociologique et théorie de l'Etat', Revue française de sociologie 2 (1977), 317-330.
100. 77. See Note 57.
101. 78. Jones, French State, p. 172.
102. 79. Duguit, Droit public, pp. 122-126.
103. 80. Duguit, L'Etat, p. 44; Souveraineté, pp. 162-163.
104. 80. Duguit, L'Etat, p. 44; Souveraineté, pp. 162-163.
105. 81. Duguit, Droit privé, p. 25.
106. 82. Duguit, Souveraineté, p. 151.
107. 83. Duguit, Traité, Vol. III, p. 583.
108. 84. Ibid., Vol. I, p. 435; Vol. III, pp. 585-586.
109. 84. Ibid., Vol. I, p. 435; Vol. III, pp. 585-586.
110. 85. Ibid., Vol. II. pp. 600-1; Souveraineté, p. 186.
111. 85. Ibid., Vol. II. pp. 600-1; Souveraineté, p. 186.
112. 86. Duguit, 'Représentation syndicale', p. 31.
113. 87. Duguit, Traité, Vol. V, pp. 177-194.
114. 88. Duguit, Droit social, p. 3.
115. 89. Duguit, 'Représentation syndicale', p. 38.
116. 90. Duguit, Droit public, p. 133.
117. 91. In 1922, a section of the CGT split to form the communist CGTU. Duguit was hostile to both which he suspected of similarly revolutionary aims. See Duguit, Traité, Vol. III, p. 242.
118. 92. Ibid., Vol. V, pp. 216-219.
119. 93. L. Duguit, Traité de droit constitutionnel (Paris, 1927), 3rd edn, p. 762.
120. 94. Duguit, Traité, 2nd edn, Vol. III, p. 440.
121. 95. Ibid., Vol. I, p. 10.
122. 96. L. Duguit, 'Le syndicalisme', Revue politique et parlementaire 56 (1908) 39;
123. 'Représentation syndicale', pp. 39-40.
124. 97. Redor, Etat légal, p. 109.
125. 98. Durkheim, Professional Ethics, pp. 49, 96.
126. 99. Duguit, 'Représentation syndicale', p. 45.
127. 100. Léon Duguit, 'Préface', Le droit social, le droit individuel et la transformation de l'Etat (Paris, 1922), 2nd edn, p. viii.
128. 101. Durkheim, Division of Labour, p. 7.
129. 102. Durkheim, Professional Ethics, p. 82.
130. 103. Redor, Etat légal, p. 31.
131. 104. Georges Gurvitch, L'expérience juridique et la philosophie pluraliste du droit (Paris, 1935), p. 237.