Vladimir Matveevich Gessen
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Matveevich Gessen (1868–1920) was a Russian jurist and politician. He was the country's first theoretician of constitutional law
and was instrumental for the spread of the idea of constitutional, representative government in Russia.
Gessen taught constitutional and administrative law at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, edited the liberal journals Pravo
and Vestnik Prava and served as a Constitutional Democrat
representative to the Duma
.
A proponent of natural law
, Gessen's scholarly work was strongly influenced by German constitutional theory. He advocated the establishment of a representative democracy with checks and balances governed by the rule of law
, and assigned particular importance to the guarantees of personal freedom and private property during the transition phase.
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
and was instrumental for the spread of the idea of constitutional, representative government in Russia.
Gessen taught constitutional and administrative law at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, edited the liberal journals Pravo
Pravo
Pravo horo Pravo horo (Право хоро) Pravo horo (Право хоро) (2/4 or 6/8 --counted as 2 triplets 3+3. Often in music for the pravo, both 2/4 and 6/8 time signatures will be used where 2/4 is used for the singing and 6/8 is used for the slightly faster instrumental portions...
and Vestnik Prava and served as a Constitutional Democrat
Constitutional Democratic party
The Constitutional Democratic Party was a liberal political party in the Russian Empire. Party members were called Kadets, from the abbreviation K-D of the party name...
representative to the Duma
State Duma of the Russian Empire
The State Duma of the Russian Empire was a legislative assembly in the late Russian Empire, which met in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It was convened four times between 1906 and the collapse of the Empire in 1917.-History:...
.
A proponent of natural law
Natural law
Natural law, or the law of nature , is any system of law which is purportedly determined by nature, and thus universal. Classically, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behavior. Natural law is contrasted with the positive law Natural...
, Gessen's scholarly work was strongly influenced by German constitutional theory. He advocated the establishment of a representative democracy with checks and balances governed by the rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
, and assigned particular importance to the guarantees of personal freedom and private property during the transition phase.