A historian and a former diplomat analyze the prospects for democracy's continued survival and health in Western Europe. They find, in examining the process in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, that democracy is experiencing very real problems. Strategic recommendations are made.

A historian and a former diplomat analyze the prospects for democracy's continued survival and health in Western Europe. As democracy is the most rapidly spreading form of government in the world today - from Eastern Europe to Asia to Africa and South America - it makes sense to examine its home base in Western Europe. The authors find that democracy there has very real problems, and they assess its future prospects in light of those problems. Their method is to analyze examples of democracy in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, looking at the long history of these countries and their cultural values as keys to understanding the future of this form of government. The study concludes with specific recommendations for governments on both sides of the Atlantic. An important work that should be of interest to scholars, students and policy-makers in comparative politics and international relations.

Influence of History and Handed-Down Values on Political Behaviour
Early Northern European Experience - Germany, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands
Recent Mediterranean Experience - France, Italy and Spain
Democracy and Authoritarianism - What About Germany
Democracy and Individualism - What About France and Italy
Spain - Political Transition to Democracy
Spain - Social Transition to Democracy
The Future of European Democracy - a Strategic Perspective
Moving from the Strategic to the Tactical.