I teach history. My graduate training included in-depth study of a country once called the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania. I’ll venture few of you knew a country by that name existed, and fewer know much about its history. In fact, it was once the largest country in Europe by territory, and in the 18th century had a voting franchise that was roughly as democratic as Britain—i.e., one of the most democratic in the West at that time. Yet it got literally carved up by its neighbors. Why? Because its government ceased to function.
The government of Poland-Lithuania ceased to function because it had a fundamental flaw in the way its legislature operated. The system could only work if its elected officials operated in good faith. When the Commonwealth’s parliament gathered to debate legislation, any individual deputy could block a proposed law. This right was called the ‘liberum veto’ or free veto. A deputy could simply rise and declare: “I do not allow!” Not only would the individual law under discussion be vetoed, but the entire parliamentary session would immediately end, and all legislation already passed would be declared null and void.
