This 1963 text asks how far democratic institutions and attitudes should be accepted in the then newly independent states of the African continent. Sir Ivor Jennings writes with a clarity that results from much thought and scholarship. The book expresses many personal opinions; they are opinions based on wide experience and tested at many conference tables. The author was involved in the making of the constitutions for India, Pakistan, and Ceylon. He considers the problems of constitution-making for the new nations of Africa and the book discusses the wider relationship of Western culture and Africa with its ebullient nationalism and rapidly changing societies. The result is an essay of interest to students of government and African affairs.