History of parliaments

Zoltán Szente's monograph is a unique undertaking in both Hungarian and international literature. The work, which covers a vast topic in space and time, provides a comprehensive presentation of institutional history from the formation of parliaments to the establishment of modern representative institutions. It covers nearly 700 years, and the treatment extends to all parliaments. This comprehensive treatment of the topic makes this volume unique. The large, comprehensive works to date have either dealt only with the western regions of Europe, or have only discussed a well-defined period, also concentrating on Western and Southern Europe. It also represents a unique approach in that, in parallel with the Western assemblies, it discusses the representative institutions of Central Europe and other peripheries (Poland, Hungary, and the annexed parts, i.e. Transylvania and Croatia, Scandinavia, and later the first American and Asian parliaments). The result of this approach and method of discussion is a kind of rehabilitation of the Central European parliaments, since they appear in Western accounts only as mentions and as followers of Western models. With this thoroughness, the author is able to prove that the development of the Polish and Hungarian parliaments was not primarily the result of following Western models, as mainstream Western historiography believes. In addition to the scientific presentation of the development of parliaments, the reader can also get acquainted with countless interesting stories and details presenting the organization, operation and symbolism of the parliaments in this exceptional book in many respects.