Book Reviews : France: The Politics of Continuity in Change. By LOWELL G. NOONAN. (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. Pp. 528. $3.95.) War Plots and Scandals in Post-War France. By PHILIP WILLIAMS. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1970. Pp. 232. $9.50.)

• Published date: 01 December 1971
• DOI: 10.1177/106591297102400429
• Date: 01 December 1971
• Subject Matter: Articles

831

achievement

of

the

first

order.

Not

the

least

of

its

virtues

is

its

clear,

vigorous

style.

There

have

been

several

case

studies

of

British

politics

in

the

past.

Lieber’s

which

has

boldly

and

imaginatively

challenged

orthodoxy

in

a

vulnerable

place,

is

now

one

of

the

best.

University

of

California,

Santa

Barbara

MICHAEL

R.

GORDON

France:

The

Politics

of

Continuity

in

Change.

By

LOWELL

G.

NOONAN.

(New

York:

Holt,

Rinehart

and

Winston,

1970.

Pp.

528.

$3.95.)

War

Plots

and

Scandals

in

Post-War

France.

By

PHILIP

WILLIAMS.

(New

York:

Cambridge

University

Press,

1970.

Pp.

232.

$9.50.)

The

Noonan

book

will

serve

students

as

a

skillful

guide

through

the

labyrinth

of

French

politics.

It

is

a

good

mixture

of

behavioral

and

traditional

approaches

and

is

written

clearly

and

entertainingly.

It

is

difficult

to

compress

France

into

some

500

pages,

but

the

author

has

succeeded

in

doing

this.

In

addition

to

cover-

ing

the

standard

topics

such

as

parties,

interest

groups,

elections,

the

court

system,

political

culture

and

foreign

policy,

the

author’s

last

chapter

is

devoted

to

conclusions

concerning

post-Gaullist

France

and

a

postscript

deals

with

the

Pres-

idential

Elections

of

June

1969.

It

is

regrettable

that

events

move

so

swiftly

that

they

overtake

even

the

best

books.

The

death

of

De

Gaulle,

the

withdrawal

of

French

objections

to

England’s

admission

to

the

Common

Market,

and

the

capture

of

the

Radical

Socialist

party

by

Servan-Schreiber

have

all

taken

place

since

the

publication

of

France:

The

Politics

of

Continuity

in

Change.

Even

so,

the

chapter

on

parties,

the

discussion

of

the

events

of

May

1968,

and

the

balanced

judgment

concerning

De

Gaulle

and

his

place

in

history

are

likely

to

stand

the

test

of

time

well.

The

short

and

succinct

summaries

after

every

chapter

will

certainly

earn

the

gratitude

of

countless

stu-

dents

who

may

need

intellectual

shortcuts

on

the

night

before

examinations.

The

only

criticism

of

any

substance

which

this

reviewer

would

make

is

the

lack

of

treatment

of

economic

policy

both

foreign

and

domestic.

De

Gaulle’s

economic

crusade

against

the

dollar

is

not

covered

nor

is

his

internal

economic

policy

for

France

which

began

with

the

devaluation

of

the

franc

in

the

late

fifties.

There

are

also

some

minor

matters.

Little

attention

is

paid

to

the

political

consequences

of

wine;

and

yet,

the

wine

growers

lobby

is

one

of

the

most

powerful,

and

alcoholism

is

France’s

most

serious

health

problem.

The

treatment

of

France’s

relationship

with

her

former

African

colonies

south

of

the

Sahara

could

have

been

expanded

to

shed

more

light

on

the

close

ties

which

France

still

retains

in

sub-

Saharan

Africa

by

way

of

mutual

defense

treaties,

trade,

aid,

and

bases.

It

should

also

be

made

clear

that

although

France

has

withdrawn

from

the

integrated

NATO

military

command,

she

is

still

technically

a

member

of

NATO

until

she

renounces

the

North

Atlantic

Treaty.

Even

with

these

reservations,

which

are

not

numerous

or

particularly

weighty,

Noonan’s

book

is

still

an

excellent

introduction

to

the

politics

of

France.

The

stu-