Modern political parties: Approaches to comparative politics / edited by Sigmund Neuman

The issue of the political party has entered, only of late and at last, the sphere of our professional concern; yet its discussion is still lacking in sharp theoretical concepts, historical depth, and the comparative data which alone could assure a substantial delineation of this crucial institution of modern political dynamics. It was out of this realization that the editor invited a number of proven area specialists to pool their substantive findings, which in turn could serve as a basis for a con crete theory and thus fill a long-felt need for an authoritative presentation of diverse political party systems.

The result is the panorama of studies presented in this volume. The separate researchers in the field who engaged in this co-operative enterprise, though they arrived independently at this junc ture, found much in common. Viewing dynamic social forces rather than static constitutional structures as the key to an understanding of world affairs, they anticipated that their common study of political parties would yield a more realistic appraisal of comparative poli tics proper.