First of all we would like to thank the other authors of the contributions in this collection, whose continued support and enthusiasm has been a major factor in making our role in organising it so enjoyable and rewarding. We are particularly grateful to Dr Miles Taylor for all his help during the editing stage.

The conference at Churchill College, Cambridge in the spring of 1989, at which the papers were originally presented, would not have taken place without the generous financial support of the Nuffield Foundation, of Churchill College itself, and of King's College, Cambridge. And it would not have been so successful without the participation of the following scholars, who acted as chairs and discussants, or otherwise provided valuable support: Professor Derek Beales, Dr John Breuilly, Professor Kenneth Brown, Dr Peter Clarke, Dr John Davis, Dr John Dunbabin, Dr José Harris, Dr Colin Matthew, Dr Henry Pelling, and Dr Gareth Stedman Jones. We are particularly grateful to Dr Peter Clarke for all his support during the process of publication, and to Professor Kenneth Brown for agreeing to write a paper at short notice, after discussion at the conference had revealed an important theme which needed more detailed attention.

Even this did not fill all the gaps though, and we are very aware of the inadequate coverage in this volume of such important issues as cooperation, land reform, and the position of women.