Constitution, the Limits of Politics, 1822-1976

«Constitution»: an old word with a new meaning. Since ancient Greece, it has served to refer to the existence of states or politically organised societies. From the 18th century on, it began to mean a legal document where the fundamental principles that guide the political life of a certain State are enumerated. The UN now has 193 member states and, as a rule, each of them has their own Constitution. However, this has not always been the case.

This book explains how and when this contemporary idea of the ""Constitution” arose, the political project that was associated with it, the criticism it earned and how it adapted over time. It highlights and analyses the Portuguese example, from the Vintist and anti-monarchical Constitution of 1822 to the Constitution of 1976, centred on the ideal of modern constitutionalism, more vast and more complex than all that went before it and still in force.