ABSTRACT
One of the aims of this chapter is to show that constitutionalism, even in its early years, has always faced similar problems concerning the governance of diverse polities, but it also seeks to address conceptual problems related to the centrality of democracy in our political discourse. It touches upon the relevance of constitutional design for explaining political development in Latin America during the nineteenth century. The chapter briefly explores the emergence and development of constitutionalism in Europe by comparing and analysing the cases of Switzerland and Belgium. It explores the constitutional history of Mexico during the nineteenth century. At the end of the nineteenth century, a gradual process of centralisation of fiscal, commercial and military powers in Switzerland, underpinned not only the basis for its incredible economic growth but also the grounds for its political independence and territorial integrity, even during the wars that troubled twentiethcentury Europe.
