?In an interesting and well-written book, Brown traces the evolution of the French Socialist and Communist parties from the signing of the Common Program in 1972 to their accession to power in 1981. The crucial decade of the 1970s saw the reshaping of the Left within this unlikely and rather uneasy alliance through the concept of autogestion.' Brown's analysis not only gives a clear understanding of the importance of that alliance and its underlying contradictions, but also places this phase of French politics in the context of its past (notably the events of May 1968) and gives insight into its future possibilities. A timely and enjoyable work.?-Orbis