The Independent State of the Congo: And International Law (Classic Reprint) - Tapa blanda

Excerpt from The Independent State of the Congo: And International Law

This problem was raised more than two centuries ago, when the idea prevailed according to which the law of nations was confined to Christian peoples. But the illustrious legal philosopher James Lorimer deserves the honour of giving it a rational solution.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Independent State of the Congo: And International Law

If we recall these elementary ideas, it is because the are too often lost sight of; too often writers and jurists neglect them, either on account of their holding fast to theories long since dead, or because they do not take into account the changes that have occurred in the domain of fact. The old definitions showed, in the law of nations, the law which existed between several peoples or between the chiefs of peoples, as Grotius said; they recognised the applicability of its rules to dynasties and sovereign houses. In contemporary legal science, international law only governs the relations of States.

The modern State itself is an institution quite different from the ancient forms of the political community. The word State, let us repeat (I), made its appearance tolerably slowly; it comes from that Italy of the close of the Middle Ages where almost all the creations of politics were produced; the State, lo Stato, was composed of the persons immediately around the Prince; it was the assemblage of those who directed and governed. Later the essence itself of the State, regarded as the central power, was modified. New attributes were conferred upon it; it was no longer a question of the ancient authority, tangible and visible, which manifested itself especially for the purpose of threatening and punishing. The idea of a juridical person made itself accepted, a person distinct from chiefs and citizens, a person whose will is itself distinct from the wills of its members.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.