Political Potterns in today's world / D.W. Brogan and Douglas V. Verney

This book has been written for those who want a brief, compara tive introduction to political science and for students of American government who can profit by comparing that government with other liberal-democracies, and indeed with other systems. It en deavours to approach the complic problem of comparing governments from a fresh point of view. Customarily books on "comparative government" have separate sections on the various countries examined. This book treats the liberal-democracies or at least four of them-together, and compares them in general terms. with the communist world.

The aim of the book is twofold. It draws attention to the main division of the world today, between liberal-democratic and com munist systems, but at the same time it offers food for thought on some of the nuances of the political process, the organization of gov ernment, and the attitude toward planning and social welfare-to name but three of the standard subtitles used throughout the volume. The main patterns are portrayed with a broad brush, especially in the historical introduction and exhortatory conclusion; in the main sections, Part One and Part Two, more detail is offered in explana tion of the nature of different alternatives available to countries today.
The term "liberal-democracy" is used advisedly. To use "democ racy" alone is not enough: there are many countries, e.g. Nasser's Egypt, where plebiscites are held and government in a sense is by the people. The addition of the term "liberal" makes "democracy" explicit: government must really depend on the consent of the gov erned, and in all its facets. The rule of law, freedom of speech, the emphasis on the individual are as much part of our liberal as of our democratic heritage-and in fact predate the advent of democracy.

It is impossible to assign the various chapters to one or another of the authors. Mr. Verney drafted the sections on Sweden and the communist world and Mr. Brogan prepared the sections on the United States, Britain, and France. Then Mr. Verney took the two drafts and wove them together before Mr. Brogan put the final touches to the finished manuscript.