Book Reviews and Notices : Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups. BY V. O. KEY. (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. Second Edition, 1947. Pp. viii, 752. $4.25. )
| DOI | 10.1177/106591294800100327 |
| Date | 01 September 1948 |
| Author | Kenneth Hossom |
| Published date | 01 September 1948 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
332
de-emphasize
the
purely
structural
and
to
accent
the
functional.
The
pres-
ent
book
is
one
of
several
excellent
texts
reflecting
that
point
of
view.
The
revised
edition
does
not
differ
essentially
from
the
orginal,
merely
bringing
it
topically
up
to
date.
CHESTER
C.
MAXEY.
Whitman
College.
Politics,
Parties,
and
Pressure
Groups.
BY
V.
O.
KEY.
(New
York:
Thom-
as
Y.
Crowell
Company.
Second
Edition,
1947.
Pp.
viii,
752.
$4.25. )
This
text
offers
an
up-to-date
collection
of
materials
concerning
the
three
subjects
named
in
the
title
of
the
book. After
a
brief
introductory
chapter,
the
author
devotes
Part
I
which
covers
the
first
quarter
of
the
book
to
pressure
groups-their
origins,
organization,
and
political
tactics.
Part
II,
about
forty
per
cent
of
the
text,
is
devoted
to
a
functional
analysis
of
the
party
system,
but
it
does
include
a
chapter
describing
historically
the
success
and
failure
of
the
major
parties
in
the
presidential
campaigns
since
1896.
A
third
part
deals
with
the
electorate
and
electoral
methods
and
includes
a
good
description
and
evaluation
of
&dquo;straw
polls.&dquo;
The
brief
fourth
part
of
the
book
includes
two
chapters
entitled,
&dquo;The
Role
of
Force&dquo;
and
&dquo;Edu-
cation
as
Politics.&dquo;
A
slightly
longer
pair
of
chapters
in
the
fifth
part-
&dquo;Party
Leadership
in
Legislation&dquo;
and
&dquo;Administration
as
Politics,&dquo;
present
a
clear-cut
summary
of
the
powers
and
predicaments
of
the
party’
when
it
has
taken
possession
of
the
framework
of
government
in
this
country.
The
author’s
scholarship
and
style
deserve
praise.
His
reference
ma-
terial
is
well
chosen;
and
his
analyses
of
broad
political
developments
are
carefully
and
clearly
drawn
in
concluding
sections
and
chapters
throughout
the
book.
There
is
conciseness
in
the
author’s
use
of
words
as
well
as
a
brevity
in
sentence
structure-traits
of
style
all
too
rare
among
text
writers.
The
weakness
of
the
author’s
work
lies
in
its
organization.
The
last
two
parts
of
the
book
could
be
incorporated
in
the
first
two,
without
detriment
to
the
author’s
theme,
&dquo;a
conception
of
political
science
as
the
study
of
political
power,
its
acquisition
and
retention ...
used
to
lend
unity
to
the
diverse
materials
included
in
this
volume.&dquo;
Perhaps
Part
I
regarding
pres-
sure
groups
does
not
deserve
obliteration,
but
it
could stand
condensation.
The
author’s
devotion
of
six
chapters
to
an
almost
complete
inventory
of
the
major
pressure
groups
deserves
boiling
down
in
the
manner
which
he
uses
in
Part
V.
In
that
part,
he
describes,
&dquo;The
Party
and
the
Government,&dquo;
in
two
chapters,
a
clear,
concise
and
excellent
treatment
of
the
subject
for
the
purpose
of
this
text.
Considered
as
a
whole,
the
author’s
work
is
one
of
the
best
texts,
pub-
lished
in
the
years
since
the
war,
on
the
subjects
which
it
embraces.
KENNETH
HOSSOM.
University
of
Washington.
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