Sir Charles Petrie's little volume on The History of Govern-
ment (Methuen, 7s. 6c1.), surveys history broadly from early times to the present day, and is particularly interesting in the later pages. The author is unconventional enough to maintain that the modern dictatorships are inevitably progressive, and he reminds us that South America as a whole, and not merely Italy, Spain, and Portugal, have found this type of government best. The United States, in his view, owe much to the preser- vation of State rights : " if ever a day comes when all effective power is Centred at Washington, the end of democracy in the United States will be at hand." Sir Charles points out, incidentally, that since 1885 no British Ministry has been in a position to claim a mandate from the majority of the electors," and that the proportion voting for Mr. Baldwin in 1924—a third—was roughly the average for the whole period.
Previous page
