might have risen to a foremost position in the state; as it was, the party to which he allied himself could never hope to become more than what it remained, a parliamentary faction, and the influence it for a time wielded in the counsels of the state waned as soon as the Social-Democratic party grew to be a force to be reckoned with. It is as a writer and a teacher that Gneist is best known to posterity. He was a jurist of a special type: to him law was not mere theory, but a living force; and this conception of its power animates all his schemes of practical reform. As a teacher he exercised a magnetic influence, not only for the clearness and cogency of his exposition, but also because of the success with which he developed the talents and guided the aspirations of his pupils. He was a man of noble bearing, religious, and imbued with a stern sense of duty. He was proud of being a Junker, and throughout his writings, despite their liberal tendencies, may be perceived the loyalty and affection with which he clung to monarchical institutions. Works Gneist was a prolific writer, especially on the subject he had made peculiarly his own, that of constitutional law and history, and among his works, other than those above named, may be mentioned the following: (Berlin, 1867) (Berlin, 1867) Die Eigenart des Preussischen Staats (1878) (Berlin, 1872, and 2nd edition, 1879) (Leipzig, 1880) (Berlin, 1886); in English translation, The English Parliament (London, 1886; 3rd edition, 1889) (Berlin, 1893) (Berlin, 1895) (Berlin, 1895) See O. Gierke, (Berlin, 1895), an address delivered in Berlin. Notes References External links Conrad Bornhak, Rudolf von Gneist, JSTOR 1816 births 1895 deaths Politicians from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg German untitled nobility German Protestants National Liberal Party (Germany) politicians Members of the Prussian House of Representatives Members of the 1st Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 2nd Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 3rd Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 4th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 5th Reichstag of the German Empire Jurists from Berlin Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)