The British Study of Politics in the Twentieth Century

Book excerpt: The British study of politics throughout the twentieth century is charted and interpreted for the first time by a team of major scholars brought together on the initiative of the Political Studies section of the British Academy. The authors trace the growing professionalism of politicalscience in the second half of the century, while not neglecting significant contributions to the field by, for example, historians, philosophers, politicians, and journalists. Specialists in the various branches of the discipline provide a critical appraisal of work in areas where British scholarship has been important. Their chapters go beyond disciplinary history to provide interpretations of the interplay between the tumultuous political developments of the century andthe framework of analysis for interpreting political life. The distinctive strength of political theory and the history of political thought in British universities is examined, and attention is paid to the influential analyses of liberal democratic and administrative institutions, both comparatively and in Britain, as well as to the study of politicalparties, interests, elections, and public opinion. The innovative contribution of British authors to analyses of nationalism, totalitarianism and authoritarianism is dissected and an influential British approach to the study of international relations scrutinized. Broad-ranging introductory andconcluding chapters provide overviews of the development of Politics as an academic discipline in Britain and assess past trends and future prospects.