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THE DEMOCRATIC EXPERIENCE

PAST AND PROSPECTS

The tendency of the emerging Third World nations to willingly forego democratic government (not to mention capitalism) has led to much soul-searching among American policy-makers. This explanation begins with detailed (occasionally repetitive) analysis of the conditions under which constitutional democracy developed in the West and goes on to show that other factors dominate in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. For example, nationalism was a strong "feeling" in Europe whereas tribalism is a divisive force in new African nations. The West itself escaped a Marxist revolution, according to the authors, only by reform—the inception of widespread suffrage and collective bargaining created an equilibrium of political and economic power that was "an approximation of social justice." In all, this politico-economic analysis is not very different from that of other ranking political scientists—Seymour Lipset in The First New Nation or Barrington Moore in The Social Origins of Democracy and Dictatorship—except that these authors stress nationalism as a factor whereas the others "assume" it. This certainly is a solid study based on the authors' earlier works and a course they taught jointly at Harvard.

Pub Date: April 1, 1969

ISBN: 0269671129

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Praeger

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1969

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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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