The Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom: Notes and News
| Published date | 01 June 1953 |
| Date | 01 June 1953 |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9248.1953.tb00842.x |
| Subject Matter | Article |
THE POLITICAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION
OF
THE UNITED
KINGDOM
NOTES
AND
NEWS
THE
Third Annual Conference of the Association was held at Birmingham University from
27
to
29
March
1953.
It was attended by over seventy members and visitors. M. Marcel
Merle represented the French Political Science Association. Mr. Henry Maddick,
of
Birmingham University, was Conference Secretary.
The following papers were discussed: ‘The Deceptive Task
of
Political Theory’, by Pro-
fessor
C.
B. Macpherson (University
of
Toronto); ‘Law and Neutrality under the Law
of
the United Nations’, by Professor Hans Kelsen (Institut des Hautes Etudes Intcrnationales.
Geneva); ‘Party Structure and Party Policy’, by Mr. Richard Pear (London
School
of
Economics and Political Science); and ‘The Civil Service in the Modern State’, by Dame
Evelyn Sharp (Ministry of Housing and Local Government). The best thanks
of
thc Asso-
ciation are due to the University of Birmingham for its excellent hospitality, to the Con-
ference Secretary, and to those who presented the papers and led discussions that proved
of
exceptional interest.
The next Annual Conference of the Association will be held at Peterhouse, Cambridge,
from
26
to
28
March
1954.
If space allows,
Notes
and
News
in the next issue of
Political
Studies
will contain a full
list of names of the members of the Association.
REVIEWS
AMERICAN HISTORY AND AMERICAN HISTORIANS.
By
H. HALE BELLOT.
(university
of
London,
The
Athlone
Press.
Pp.
xx+336.
7
maps.
25s.)
The Commonwealth Fund Professor of American History in the University of London has
prepared a valuable work-the first of its kind to appear in Britain-which undoubtedly
will contribute to the advancement of American studies in British universities. The book
consists of a group of essays, seven in number, of uneven length and depth-for some of
them are closely argued and some only sketchily (the last two, for example); and a series of
long bibliographical notes which cover
a
total of
66
pages.
Professor Bellot’s purposes may be noted as being two: he
is
trying to restate the central
problems of American history
as
they have been examined in detail by professional his-
torians during the fifty years
1890-1940,
and he is providing a critical vade-mecum to the
literature in his excellent bibliographies. At this point it should
be
observed that the author’s
familiarity with monographic writings is impressive indeed; this probably will turn out to
be the most useful part of his labours.
Professor Bellot has imposed upon himself three limitations, all of which he frankly sets
out in his preface. He believes that most
of
American historical writing published before
1910
has been ‘out-mode8 (and by that token, for example, he also is prepared to disregard
the philosophical positions of Bancroft, Hildreth, and Rhodes). He leaves out almost entirely
historical biography (and in twa important fields, in consequence-those of politics and
business-his bibliographies have important lacunae; one may cite in passing the recent
biographies of Madison, Jefferson, and Calhoun and those of Carnegie, Rockefeller, and
Morgan). And he accepts. as his point of departure for his whole analysis, the ‘work and
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