Argues that Carl Schmitt's critique of Weimar Republic liberalism cannot be countered by reforming liberalism is also a contribution to current political theory and an analysis of contemporary liberalism Develops a compelling, rigorous argument that unsettles many assumptions about liberalism, democracy, and dictatorship Constitutional Failure is a major contribution to studies of the German political philosopher Carl Schmitt (1888 - 1985), the Weimar Republic, and the relationship of constitutionalism, political economy, and democracy. An internationally renowned scholar of Weimar legal theory, Ellen Kennedy brought Schmitt's neglected work to the attention of English- speaking readers with her highly regarded translations of his work and studies of its place in twentieth-century political theory. In this eagerly awaited book, she tracks Schmitt's contribution to the canon of western political philosophy in its most difficult and dangerous moment - during the time of Weimar Germany and the Third Reich - and demonstrates the centrality of his thought to understandings of the modern constitutional state and its precarious economic and social foundations.