(Non-)Departures from the Legislative State of Nature, 1866–1917

Abstract

Prior to 1917, a centralization of agenda control was successful in the British House of Commons between 1882 and 1902 but failed in the German Reichstag in 1906. In the House of Commons, followers over time accepted that systematic attempts of Irish nationalists to delay the passage of legislation amounted to anti-system obstruction could only be contained procedurally as advocated by leaders. In contrast, the German Social Democrats, despite being deemed anti-system by conservatives, only obstructed legislative business tactically. This explains why centrist legislators refused to support the procedural changes proposed by the extra-parliamentary government. In the absence of any systematic obstruction, followers successfully called for mega-seats on powerful committees in both the French Chamber of Deputies and the Swedish Riksdag.