Incredible commitment: Influence accumulation, consensus-making, and the collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

2024/10/17 by Mikołaj Malinowski · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Russia and Soviet political economy #European Union Policy and Governance #Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics

paper · doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2024.101633

Abstract

I aim to explain the petrification of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's parliament due to the veto in the 17th and 18th centuries. I study genealogical data on senatorial ancestors and identify the formation of an oligarchic elite. I propose that the accumulation of influence by powerful individuals undermined their vested interest in the state's continuation. This weakened the elite's ability to credibly commit to political agreements, reach consensus, and sustain the extractive regime. I argue that the overly limited king failed to act as an arbiter in oligarchic disputes. This challenges the conventional view regarding the benefits of limited royal authority.

Citations

• The rise and decline of European parliaments, 1188–17891

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