1958, France. Although this is an idea that can be found inrnSieyes’ writings at the beginning of the Thermidorian period, itrnis alien to the French revolutionary tradition, which is characterizedrnby what is called “parliamentary absolutism.” It hasrnnonetheless become a common element of 20th-century constitutionalismrnon both sides of the Atlantic and finds an unprecedentedrntheater in Europe in the newly established EuropeanrnConvention of the Rights of Man, formed by all thernmember nations of the European Community. Not only do allrnof its members have constitutional courts, but those courts arernlinked by a charter of the Rights of Man and by a EuropeanrnCourt of those same rights that functions as a supranationalrncourt of appeals. The result is the first milestone of the outlinernof a European state.rnAnd so, even while democracy has encountered great disastersrnin our century, we are currently witnessing the opening-uprnof superior horizons—proof that the ideas of the French Revolutionrnhave in the end escaped from the malediction that therncourse of that revolution seemed to foretell. The democraticrnrevolutionary tradition has indeed fostered incredible catastrophes,rnsuch as murderous Utopias and the cult of the nationstate,rnbut on the ruins of those tragedies, at the basis of ourrnWestern European societies, survive more than ever the principlesrnof 1789, mastered at last and embodied in free institutions,rnand thereby closer to the American tradition. The guardianrnangels of the Europe we are trying to construct are neitherrnmilitary glory, the grandeur of the state, nor the end of history;rnthey are more modest and modern spirits: the liberty and wellbeingrnof individuals.rnAt least this Europe, born of the ruins of its history andrnreemerging in prosperity, conserves some of the more significantrnelements of its exceptional past: the experience of democracy,rnscientific and technical knowledge, prosperity and all thernpreconditions for power except for a common will. Once more,rnit is doing something unprecedented with that heritage. Havingrnonce invented the nation-state—that remarkable instrumentrnof civilization which almost proved fatal—Europe is nowrnfacing the challenge of inventing a new form of communityrncomposed of a collection of peoples who have for so long beenrnin conflict.rnThus, at this moment at the end of the century, I am inclinedrnto believe that while the postcommunist world appearsrndivided and full of present and potential conflicts, modernrndemocracy—its constitutional formulae and the conditionsrnnecessary for its stability—is secure. This does not imply thatrnwe have entered a period of consensus, since democracy is, byrnnature, and today more than ever, founded upon conflict andrnthe struggle for power. But now, we understand how tornorganize those conflicts and struggles, and we know the price ofrnfailure. All during this long apprenticeship, the Americanrnexperience has played a decisive role.rnRight NOW! is Britain’s number one Right-Wing, conservativernmagazine, and it is now available in America.rnRight NOW! is one of the most articulate, unabashed and politicallyrnincorrect journals on Britain’s conservative Right, with informed, divertingrnand often provocative writing on culture, race, crime, Europe, Ulster,rnsexual politics, ecology and literature. There are also regular interviewsrnwith leading Rightists and profiles of conservatives and conservatisms ofrnpast and present.rnPrevious and forthcoming interviewees and contributors include:rnSamuel Francis (Chronicles), Hans Eysenck, David Horowitzrn(Center for the Study of Popular Culture), Professor Jean-rnPhilippe Rushton (University of Western Ontario), Alain dernBenoist (French Nouvelle Droite), Professor Richard Lynn,rnCharles Moore {Daily Telegraph), John Redwood, MP, ProfessorrnRoger Scruton (Salisbury Review), Professor Dwight Murpheyrn(Wichita State University) and Professor Michael Hillrn(Southern League).rnIf you want to join the growing number of Americans who arernsubscribing to Right NOW!, then please send $15 for a year’srnsubscription (four issues), or $5 for a sample copy of the latest issue.rnYou won’t be disappointed! Checks should be made payablernto Right NOW! and sent to: 333 East Maple Avenue, #225, Vienna VA, 22180.rnJULY 1996/13rnrnrn