German Tradition of Local Liberties and Hannah Arendt’s Analysis of Direct Democracy

The author relates the continuity between the notion of the citizen in the work of Hannah Arendt and the tradition of local liberties in Germany. The paper is emphatic that local democracy, as realized in German history, overlaps with Hannah Arendt’s views on democracy. It can be some kind of protective shield against dictatorship, and in the spirit of Hannah Arendt, local democracy proves to be a foundation of the democratic state. In substantiating her case, the author first examines the workings of medieval German cities, as peculiar “mini-states”, and then turns to a description of the reinforcement of the ruler’s power at the expense of city autonomy, which took place in the sixteenth and seventieth centuries. Afterwards, she thoroughly examines Hannah Arendt’s views on the concept of the citizen, characterised by the ancient notion of the citizen actively taking part in community affairs