Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Beer, Samuel H. (Samuel Hutchison), 1911-2009
2. Ulam, Adam B., 1922-2000

Description

1. xvii, 780 pages illustrations; 24 cm

Subject

1. Since 1945
2. Comparative government
3. Politics and government
4. Politieke stelsels
5. Constitutional history
6. Economic development
7. Political development
8. Europe > Politics and government > 1945-
9. Europe

Contents

1. I. The analysis of political systems : 1. A science of politics? : Description ; Classification ; Explanation ; Confirmation -- 2. The concept of a political system : A structural-functional definition ; The meaning of "system" ; The main variables -- 3. The four variables of a political system : Political culture : Political values: conceptions of authority ; Political values: conceptions of purpose ; Belief systems ; Emotional attitudes and symbolism. The pattern of power : A definition of power ; Authority and power. The pattern of interests : A pattern of policy : A definition of policy ; Policy, power and interests. Intention and situation : Situational compulsions ; Effect on values and beliefs -- II. The British political system : 1. The sources of leadership and democracy in Britain : The effectiveness of the British government ; The bases of effectiveness ; The bases of political deference : Gradual political development ; The medieval balance ; Continuity and change in modern times ; Ceremonial institutions ; Class structures and class consciousness. Bases of the party system ; Democracy in Britain -- 2. The pattern of power: the cabinet : Cabinet and Parliament ; How a cabinet is constituted : Selection of the prime minister ; Selection of the cabinet and ministry. How the cabinet works : Collective responsibility: secrecy ; Organization and process ; The prime minister. Social origins of cabinet members -- 3. The pattern of power: Parliament : The symbolism of the House of Commons ; Class composition of the house ; The work of the house of commons : Legislation ; Control over administration ; Publicity. The House of Lords : Evolution ; Composition ; Functions and powers. The transcendence of the government -- 4. The pattern of power: administration : Ministers and civil servants ; The departments -- 5. The pattern of interests: parties and pressure groups : Pressure groups ; The electoral system ; The power of dissolution ; Party organization : Membership organization ; The selection of candidates ; National party organization ; Power relationships in the parties. Party organization and party discipline -- 6. Party goals and the pattern of policy : Elusiveness of British party goals ; Origins of the British welfare states ; The welfare state in operation, 1945-1951 : Nationalization ; Central economic planning and control ; Redistribution of wealth. The welfare state question since 1951 ; Party goals: a summary -- 7. The impact of policy on the pattern of power : Parliament in the welfare state : The Parliamentary time table ; Financial business. Administration : The problem of co-ordination ; The organization of economic planning ; The public corporation. The impact on politics ; The cabinet today -- 8. Prospects -- III. The French political system : 1. Conflicting ideals of authority : The two historic traditions ; A century of constitutional instability ; The third republic: 1870-1958 ; The nature of the fifth republic: a return to administrative tradition -- 2. The new constitutional order: theory and practice : General philosophy of the constitution ; A powerful crisis executive: the president of the republic : Election ; Formal powers ; Succession. A stabilized government : Limits of the new stability ; Confidence vote and censure procedure ; Controls over parliamentary criticism ; The threat of dissolution. A Parliament subordinated to the executive : The shrunken domain of the law ; The speedier legislative process ; The senate as ally of the executive ; An ultimate check on Parliament: the constitutional council. Contractual cooperation with former dependencies : The original "community" of 1958 ; The new system of cooperation. Conclusion: the victory of practice over theory -- 3. The variety of political forces : The withering of traditional politics : Two theories of party decline ; Trends revealed by the 1958 elections ; The recent evolution of political forces. Old intermediaries: parties and pressure groups : The origins of the multiparty system : Historical and ideological sources ; Social and cultural sources. The function of French elections : Electoral traditions of the past ; The electoral system of the fifth republic. Major parties : The independents and peasant's party ; The Christian democratic party or MRP ; The radical socialist party ; The socialist party or SFIO ; The communist party ; The Gaullist party: union for the new republic or UNR. Minor parties ; Pressure groups. A new veto power: the military party : Army activists ; Civilian "ultras". De Gaulle and Gaullism -- 4. Policy making under republican monarchy : The primacy and problems of the policy process ; The role of President De Gaulle: a "reserved" sector of policy for supreme arbitration : De Gaulle's conception of the presidency ; De Gaulle's objectives as president ; De Gaulle's methods as president : Normal powers ; Emergency powers. The role of the prime minister and his government: an "open" sector of policy for administrative fiat : The special position of De Gaulle's prime minister ; Composition and function of the cabinet ; The prime minister's office ; The council of ministers and delegated legislation ; Negotiations with interest groups. The role of "intermediaries": modifying the executive will : Parliament: concessions to parties, politicians and interests : Sources of Parliamentary weakness ; Sources of Parliamentary influence. Bureaucracy: the influence of experts, administrators and interests : l'Etat: the tradition of centralized administration ; High civil servants: their outlook and milieu ; The "where" and "how" of bureaucratic power ; Policy execution at the grass roots -- 5. Problems and prospects : A self-defeating policy process ; The perils of ineffective policy ; The alternative of mixed government ; Other options for change.
2. IV. The German political system : 1. Continuity and discontinuity in German politics : The jagged curve of modern German history : National unification ; Industrialization ; Abolition of monarchy ; Economic crises ; Totalitarianism ; Defeat ; Division. Two Germanys ; Political and constitutional stability -- 2. The formal structure of government : The lapse of politics ; Constitutional reconstruction ; Federalism ; Territorial structure ; Bundesrat ; Federal emergency powers ; Umpire of federalism ; The federal president ; The federal chancellor ; The federal government ; The bureaucracy ; Basic rights ; Constitutional amendments ; The federal constitutional court ; The periphery of the constitution ; Parliamentary procedure ; The electoral system ; Politics versus government -- 3. Parties, issues, and political style : The changing party system ; Traditional parties ; The decrease in the number of parties ; The parties' goals : Refugee league ; Center ; German party ; Free democratic party ; Social democratic party ; Christian democratic union. Political methods ; Ideologism, legalism, scientism ; Political recourse to the courts ; Political issues : Economic and social issues ; Cultural issues ; Historical issues ; Foreign policy issues ; Constitutional issues. Issues in state politics ; Vocabulary of politics ; Education for politics ; Academic political personnel ; Stability of political style -- 4. The pattern of policy : The scope of concrete policy ; Statism ; The social market economy ; Government regulation ; Interest groups ; The desire to be regulated ; Policy and the constitution -- 5. Prospects -- V. The Russian political system : 1. The origins of Soviet political culture : Marxism ; Russian traditions : Centralization of political authority and the autocratic tradition ; The social structure and representative institutions -- 2. The origins of the Soviet pattern of power : Marxism in Russia ; The Bolsheviks before November ; The revolution -- 3. The development of Soviet policy : The struggle with the peasant ; Industrialization ; Policy trends since Stalin's death -- 4. The pattern of power: formal structure : Soviet constitutionalism : Constitutionalism and the Soviet philosophy of the state ; Soviet constitutionalism as a unifying and educational factor ; Soviet constitutionalism as a political factor. Federalism ; Administration : Ministers and ministries -- 5. The communist party of the U.S.S.R. : The character and function of the party ; The power structure ; The formal organization : Congresses and conferences ; The central committee ; The politburo-presidium ; The party control organs ; The secretariat -- 6. Prospects.

Bibliography (note)

1. Includes bibliography.