Contesting Restrained Democracy: The Continuing Challenge of Referendums in Postwar Western Europe (1945-2018)

The call for referendums – especially from populist groups – has become increasingly incessant in recent years. Supposedly, referendums can solve the lack of representation of our postwar democracies. However, referendums are far from new! By comparatively analyzing historical referendum practices in France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, this PhD project will aim to revise the historiographical image that regards postwar democracy as “restrained.” Contesting Restrained Democracy will prove that referendums are not a new solution to the problems of our contemporary democracies but that they were also an often discussed element within these very democracies.