Book Reviews : A Study in Government: Guatemala. Part I: National and Local Government since 1944. By KALMAN H. SILVERT. (New Orleans: Middle American Research Institute of Tulane University. 1954. Pp. ix, 104.)

• Published date: 01 March 1956
• Author: Harry Kantor
• Date: 01 March 1956
• DOI: 10.1177/106591295600900133
• Subject Matter: Articles

200
a &dquo;bad compromise&dquo; rather than a &dquo;straight-forward and direct solution of
the problem of the freedom of the colonies.&dquo; In giving economic and mili-
tary aid to Western Europe, the United States is represented as indirectly
&dquo;underwriting the status quo in the colonies.&dquo; This &dquo;either-or&dquo; attitude of
India views security as a regional or area problem rather than a universal
one; neglects the sense of history which India generally observes and re-
spects ; and looks upon the policies and activities of the colonizing powers
of Western Europe as totally bad and wrong.
The author makes a striking observation in regard to &dquo;capitalist&dquo; or
&dquo;imperialist&dquo; powers. These powers, including America, England, France
and Germany, &dquo;sent thousands of political, cultural, economic or mission-
ary workers into China&dquo; to propagate their ideas among the Chinese masses.
The U.S.S.R., however, had no school, church, or debating society in
China, and yet won its greatest victory there. Borrowing support by quoting
Owen Lattimore, the author declares that this is because &dquo;the Soviet Union
was the only Great Power which consistently and ably defied the very
countries who attempted to dominate China.&dquo; Considering Indian knowl-
edge of the objectives and facts of American effort in Eastern countries,
especially China, this is a strange generalization.
These instances can be duplicated in a number of places in the book.
They doubtless represent faithful delineations of the Indian attitude toward
the issues that have been discussed. Americans regard some of these atti-
tudes as clearly mistaken ones. We must recognize the right of India to
hold them. And we must recognize our responsibility to convince her, by
deed as well as by word, that she is mistaken.
As a summary, the study is admirable. It is comprehensive. While
written in criticism of other states, it is not written in invective and vilifica,
tion. The...