Political Profiles – serie

François Mitterrand was one of the giants of post-war French politics - a master tactician whose political career spanned more than four decades from wartime occupation to decolonization, the Cold War to European integration. As President, elected twice, he enjoyed an unprecedented fourteen years in office, bringing the left to power and demonstrating that it was a credible governing coalition over some ten years. When he died in 1998, Mitterrand left an enduring political legacy not only on the French domestic scene, but also in European and foreign affairs. In this pre-eminently accessible political biography, David Bell, offers a fascinating ‘behind-the-scenes’ analysis of the politics of François Mitterrand. Bringing together a wealth of material, Bell explores Mitterrand’s political leadership and the techniques he used in attaining and wielding political power. Mitterrand’s unusual journey from right to left, from the Third to the Fifth Republic is a story of ambition, manipulation and ideological fluidity, which provides a lens through which the entire political history of post-war France may be viewed. This engaging assessment of one man’s contribution to an era of French and European politics will appeal to anyone interested in contemporary political leadership, French politics, history and European affairs.

François Mitterrand was one of the giants of post-war French politics - a master tactician whose political career spanned more than four decades from wartime occupation to decolonization, the Cold War to European integration. As President, elected twice, he enjoyed an unprecedented fourteen years in office, bringing the left to power and demonstrating that it was a credible governing coalition over some ten years. When he died in 1998, Mitterrand left an enduring political legacy not only on the French domestic scene, but also in European and foreign affairs. In this pre-eminently accessible political biography, David Bell, offers a fascinating ‘behind-the-scenes’ analysis of the politics of François Mitterrand. Bringing together a wealth of material, Bell explores Mitterrand’s political leadership and the techniques he used in attaining and wielding political power. Mitterrand’s unusual journey from right to left, from the Third to the Fifth Republic is a story of ambition, manipulation and ideological fluidity, which provides a lens through which the entire political history of post-war France may be viewed. This engaging assessment of one man’s contribution to an era of French and European politics will appeal to anyone interested in contemporary political leadership, French politics, history and European affairs.

Revolutionary and ruler, Marxist and nationalist, liberator and despot, Mao Zedong takes a place among the iconic leaders of the twentieth century. In this book, Maurice Meisner offers a balanced portrait of the man who defined modern China. From his role as leader of a communist revolution in a war-torn and largely rural country to the disasters of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, the relationship between Mao's ideas and his political action is highly disputed. With unparalleled authority, Meisner shows how Mao's unique sinification of Marxism provides the key to looking at this extraordinary political career. The first part of the book is devoted to Mao's revolutionary leadership before 1949, in particular the influence of the liberal and anarchist ideas of the May Fourth era, his discovery of Marxism, Leninism and his conviction that peasants held the potential for revolution. In the second part, Meisner analyses Mao's early successes as a nationalist unifier and modernizer, the failure of his socialism and his eventual transformation into a tyrant.