TFL Vsebine / Revija Revus

Zaradi vezi z nacističnim režimom in svoje družbene vloge velja Carl Schmitt za kontroverznega pravnega teoretika in nosilca moralne odgovornosti. Hkrati pa je nedvomno eden izmed najpomembnejših evropskih ustavnopravnih teoretikov in pravnih filozofov. Med drugim je tudi avtor ene izmed najznamenitejših teorij o razmerju med legalnostjo in legitimnostjo. To razmerje je utemeljil v sozvočju s svojo politično teorijo o razlikovanju med prijateljem in sovražnikom kot temeljem politične organiziranosti države. Utemeljeval jo je ob koncepciji suverena kot izvorne in konstitutivne odločitve za vzpostavitev države kot homogene politične enote. Temelj in izvor legitimnosti je videl v tej isti suvereni odločitvi, v konstitutivni volji ljudstva. Razlikoval je med plebiscitarno legitimnostjo, ki jo izraža trenutna volja ljudstva ob določenem vprašanju, in demokratično legitimnostjo, ki jo pogojuje vsebina predpostavke o volji ljudstva kot suvereni odločitvi za oblikovanje politične skupnosti. Razlikoval je med legalnostjo in legitimnostjo. Poudarjal je nujnost vsebinske nadgradnje in preseganja gole formalne legalnosti in prednost materialnega dela ustave, s temeljnimi pravicami in načeli, pred organizacijskim delom.

Due to his personal attitude in the time of the establishment of the Nazi regime in Germany and its later governance and also due to his theoretical approach towards national socialism, Carl Schmitt is considered to be a controversial legal theorist and political thinker. Maybe even the most controversial one in the 20th century. And he is considered to be the carrier of a heavy burden of the moral responsibility as far as the Nazi's totalitarianism and its consequences are concerned. At the same time, he is undoubtedly one of the most important European constitutional scholars and legal philosophers of all times. His theoretical legacy is extensive and deserves all of the research attention. Even his most strict critics would probably agree that his political and legal theory was not the reason for the establishment of the Nazi regime or even the events before and during World War II. Just as political and legal theories that were opposite to his were not able to prevent Nazi's totalitarianism and its consequences.