The Governments of Foreign Powers

by Philip W. Buck (Stanford) &John W. Masland (Dartmouth). Henry Holt& Co.; 1947; 440 pp.; $3.25.

This very readable book o£ 440 large-type pages is an interesting, scholarly exposition of governments in two widely separated areas. Two-thirds of it consists of a conventional explanation of the political institutions and a summary of recent political history of Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Italy. The other third presents a new, not otherwise readily available, similar treatment of China and Japan. The authors speak of the seven as the "great states of the world,"—a statement open to some question.

The emphasis is upon the contemporary aspects of the governments and therein lies the chief value of the book. Professor Masland's chapters on China and Japan are the most interesting, presenting less well-known subject-matter in very readable form. The political institutions and forces of Imperial Japan are clearly explained and then half of the eighty-five pages is devoted to "Japan under Allied administration," on which the author writes from personal observation and participation. Half of the space given to China is on events and political developments since 1928.

This book differs from other college texts in the field of Comparative Government in that the various topics are presented in very condensed, summarized, and abbreviated form. This will doubtless be regarded as advantageous by the general reader but it makes the book less useful as a text in the general college course in this field. Inasmuch as it is one of the first such post-war publications it should receive a wide reading and well merits the attention it is most likely to receive.

A very useful feature of the book is the carefully chosen bibliography appended to each chapter, with incisive comments upon each title listed.