CONGRESS ON TRIAL

by James M. Burns ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 13, 1949

By an Associate Professor of Government at Williams, this is a serious showing- up of the frailties and limitations of Congress. Outlining the aptitudes and attitudes of the practical politician- who is usually representative of a particular area only, Burns goes on to expose the pressure politicians as they cater to pressure groups, the party system which is now splintered, ineffectual, undisciplined. He makes his main point, however, in the fact that the House and the Senate are defective as representative bodies, yielding as they do to organized minorities at the expense of the great majority. Reviewing, historically, proposals for reform which have been made through the years, Burns concludes with two possibilities ahead; the reform of the office of the Presidency, or the achievement of a party government without particularist concerns... The full case illustration here gives this added value for the student of government, progressive politico, but a general audience will be hard to reach.

Pub Date: July 13, 1949

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1949

Categories: NONFICTION