Book Reviews : Four-Power Control in Germany and Austria, 1945-1946. By MICHAEL BALFOUR and JOHN MAIR. (London: Oxford University Press. 1956. Pp. xii, 390. $7.70.)

• DOI: 10.1177/106591295801100325
• Author: J. William Robinson
• Date: 01 September 1958
• Published date: 01 September 1958
• Subject Matter: Articles

725

Taken

in

its

entirety

the

book

represents

a

cross

section

of

the

evolu-

tion

of

English

legal

thought

in

a

number

of

vital

areas.

The

range

is

wide

and

the

treatment,

whether

doctrinal

or

practical,

is

generally

excellent.

It

contains

something

of

value

to

any

serious

student

of

law.

San

Diego

State

College.

MINOS

D.

GENERALES.

Four-Power

Control

in

Germany

and

Austria,

1945-1946.

By

MICHAEL

BALFOUR

and

JOHN

MAIR.

(London:

Oxford

University

Press.

1956.

Pp.

xii,

390.

$7.70.)

This

volume

in

the

wartime

series

of

the

&dquo;Survey

of

International

Af-

fairs,&dquo;

issued

under

the

auspices

of

the

Royal

Institute

of

International

Affairs

and

edited

by

Arnold

Toynbee,

is

in

reality

two

books.

Each

of

the

writers

is

responsible

for

his

own

contribution.

Mr.

Balfour’s

work

on

Germany

covers

approximately

the

period

be-

tween

May,

1945,

and

December,

1946

-

one

of

the

most

difficult

and

un-

happy

times

in

the

whole

of

German

history.

The

author

correctly

gives

the

impression

of

confusion

and

failure

in

this

thorough

analysis

of

a

vexed

and

complex

situation.

As

the

dates

in

the

title

suggest,

the

contrast

with

what

followed

is

not

within

the

province

of

the

present

study.

The

treatment

is

based

on

firsthand

experience

and

observation

in

the

administration

of

the

country

at

the

time

and

includes

illuminating

discussions

of

the

attitudes

of

the

occupying

powers

and

of

the

Germans,

and

of

problems

involved

in

control,

machinery

of

government,

refugees,

economic

affairs,

property,

politics,

media

of

information,

and

education.

The

account

of

&dquo;Denazifica-

tion&dquo;

is

also

noteworthy.

The

accompanying

treatment

of

Austria,

by

John

Mair,

likewise

is

based

on

firsthand

knowledge

and

personal

administrative

experience

in

the

events

recorded.

The

formation

of

Allied

policy

is

presented

in

a

logical

and

understandable

manner;

and

the

many

facets

of

liberation

and

then

of

occupation

problems

are

indicated.

Attention

is

given

to

political

develop-

ments,

economic

questions,

and

various

special

concerns

such

as

refugees,

policy,

censorship,

and

the

proposed

treaty

with

Austria.

As

in

the

case

of

the

companion

study,

there

is

first-class

documentation

(though

both

ac-

counts

were

written

without

access

to

official

papers).

These

two

histories

of

Four-Power

control

in

Germany

and

Austria

are,

for

the

period

covered,

as

complete

as

one

could

wish.

They

throw

much

light

on

the

problems

of

these

countries

individually

as

well

as

pointing

up

significant

contrasts

in

attitudes

and

approach.

The

volume

includes

an

un-

usually

complete

index.

Whittier

College.

J.

WILLIAM

ROBINSON.