The Governments of Europe

Constitutions, cabinets and parliaments provide the framework for Frederic Austin Ogg's account of government in western and central Europe. Written for college study and a wider public, the book pairs descriptions of political institutions with explanations of their historical growth. Its coverage extends from Britain, Germany and France to Switzerland, the Low Countries, Scandinavia and the Iberian states, making smaller countries part of the comparison.

Ogg also considers political parties, electoral systems, courts and local administration. The section on Italy examines shifting parliamentary alliances, changes of ministry, an expanded franchise and banking scandals, showing how formal institutions worked amid political pressure. First published in 1913, the volume offers a period account of European government. Readers interested in constitutional history can compare the powers and procedures of different states while seeing which questions occupied a political scientist of that era.