A Political and Economic Dictionary of Western Europe

The Political and Economic Dictionary of Western Europe aims, as the author tells us, “to give a comprehensive overview of the political and economic situation in contemporary Western Europe”. “Contemporary” is taken to mean “since 1945”, though greater stress is laid on the more recent part of this period, and “Western Europe” is defined in the Cold War sense, so that Cyprus is included, whereas the Czech Republic, situated much farther to the west, is not. The inclusion of an article on the former German Democratic Republic is a marginal case in this context.

The book comprises about 450 articles....