GGdel's Interbellum

Abstract

In our previous paper Loophole, we retold the story of Kurt Godel’s discovery in late 1947 of a deep logical contradiction in the United States Constitution. At the time, however, and for many years thereafter, this purported discovery was discounted as nonsense or as highly improbable. Yet this assessment ignores Godel’s Central European background and the dramatic histories of many Central European states during the interbellum period. Specifically, during his years at the University Vienna (1924-1940) -- first as a student and then as a lecturer -- Godel would have noticed that every democracy in Central Europe ended in In this paper, then, we survey the series of anti-constitutional moments unfolding in interbellum Europe in order to shed some light on Godel’s later discovery of a logical contradiction in the U.S. Constitution. Simply stated, Godel’s main concern was the theoretical possibility of a constitutional dictatorship. But how likely was this possibility as a practical matter? It turns out, very likely, if the history of interbellum Europe is any guide.