Book Reviews : The Politics of Pakistan: A Constitutional Quest. By RICHARD S. WHEELER. (Cornell University Press, 1970. Pp. xix, 346. $11.00.) The Politics of Nepal: Persistence and Change in an Asian Monarchy. By LEO E. ROSE and MARGARET W. FISHER. (Cornell University Press, 1970). Pp. xiii, 197. $7.95.)

• Date: 01 December 1971
• DOI: 10.1177/106591297102400433
• Published date: 01 December 1971
• Subject Matter: Articles

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told him that the masses would not accept the old Kaiser and that he was thinking
rather in terms of the Kaiser’s nephew, Louis Ferdinand, Hindenburg soon lost
interest. Another interesting footnote to German history is Bruening’s criticism of
the Catholic church and the concordat even though he was the leader of the
largely Catholic Zentrumspartei. This may also be one of the reasons why the pre-
sent-day Catholic leaders have generally ignored the Memoirs.
The Memoirs should give impetus to new research on this period of German
history. Unfortunately they are rather poorly edited, not by a professional historian
but by his friend Kampmann, who does not seem to have read them carefully as
indicated by his rather irrelevant introduction. It is clear that Bruening was a man
who wielded much power, but did not have the knowledge, the competence, or
the qualities of leadership to use this power to save the Weimar democracy. It is
strange how little attention is given in the Memoirs to both the Nazi and the Com-
munist dangers of his time. Bruening felt his favorite Reichswehr (Army) could
easily handle these dangers.
Finally, one may ask to what extent the Memoirs shed new light on the collapse
of Weimar. Clearly, they indicate that Bruening’s dissolution of Parliament in 1930,
his constant use of emergency decrees (later used successfully by Hitler), the ex-
clusion of Parliament in governing, and the right-wing nature of his policies -
all
contributed to the demise of Weimar.
CHARLES R. FOSTER
Washington, D. C.
The Politics of Pakistan: A Constitutional Quest. By RICHARD S. WHEELER.
(Cornell University Press, 1970. Pp. xix, 346. $11.00.)
The Politics of Nepal: Persistence and Change in an Asian Monarchy. By LEO E.
ROSE and MARGARET W. FISHER. (Cornell University Press, 1970). Pp. xiii,
197. $7.95.)
These volumes inaugurate a new series of broad, introductory studies of
&dquo;South Asian Political Systems&dquo; under the general editorship of Richard L....