Book Reviews : Les Élections du 2 janvier 1956. By twenty authors under the direction of MAU RICE DUVERGER, FRANÇOIS GOGUEL, and JEAN TOUCHARD. (Paris: Armand Colin, Cahiers de la Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, No. 82, 1957. Pp, xv, 505. 1,700 frs.)

• Published date: 01 June 1960
• Date: 01 June 1960
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/106591296001300223
• Subject Matter: Articles

530
William Lyon Mackenzie King died but ten years ago and it is far too soon
to expect a full and complete appraisal of his contribution to his country. He was
a controversial figure, generally unloved but nearly always successful, and widely
if grudgingly admired. In a disparate and far-flung nation like Canada, with its
different and sometimes differing social and economic elements, his achieve-
ments in attaining and holding national power were remarkable. In this first at-
tempt at a thorough appraisal and analysis of his statecraft, Dr. Dawson has
made a profound and valuable contribution to our all too meager store of knowl-
edge on Canadian politics.
HEATH MACQUARRIE
Ottawa, Ontario
Les Élections du 2 janvier 1956. By twenty authors under the direction of MAU-
RICE DUVERGER, FRANÇOIS GOGUEL, and JEAN TOUCHARD. (Paris: Armand
Colin, Cahiers de la Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, No. 82,
1957. Pp, xv, 505. 1,700 frs.)
The dissolution and re-election of the French National Assembly startled
many political scientists in the winter of 1955-56. One of the few &dquo;safe gener-
alizations&dquo; in our discipline became hazardous overnight: French constitutional
politics were not necessarily dominated by the legislature. The executive branch
fought back, a &dquo;shocking decision.&dquo; While admittedly legal, such executive self-
assertion was incompatible with the living constitution of the Fourth Republic.
Or was it? How would the public react to the shock, if it were one, and what
lessons would the government learn for the future?
There was no shock, at least not outside the &dquo;House without Windows&dquo; (to
borrow the excellent term from Melnik and Leites). The only other deeply
stirred people were journalistic and academic commentators. The present book
responds to this challenge.
Fortunately, the book does not seek &dquo;explanations&dquo; of what happened. It
has two aims only: (1) to describe the election in more detail, from more angles,
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