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CHOICE Review

The title of this work is misleading: it does not cover the entire European political scene, but only the UK, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Soviet Union. There is a short chapter, however, on Western European regionalism dealing mainly with the European communities. The work includes more than 300 entries of encyclopedic length, each consisting of two parts. The first part defines and describes the entry term; the second part, ``Significance,'' provides analyses and interpretations. Selection of terms for a work of this type is always difficult. Aside from entries on the political structures of the four countries (such as government branches, political parties, and interest groups), a good many entries are devoted to political theories (Leninism, Nazism). Historical terms are included on a highly limited basis. The inclusion of certain general terms, e.g., alliance, monarch, opposition, is perplexing. The appendixes contain maps of Western Europe and the USSR, tables of European community governments, and information on the national composition of the USSR. Subject index. The information is readily available in general encyclopedias, in texts on specific countries, or in other political dictionaries such as Barbara McCrea, Jack Plano, and George Klein's The Soviet and East European Political Dictionary (CH, Jul '84). Recommended only for highly specialized reference collections in political science.-J.E. Galejs, Iowa State University