Francois Mitterrand is an in-depth, thematic appraisal of the long-serving President's political leadership. Alistair Cole provides a lucid appreciation of the development of the French polity during the entire postwar period. His portrayal of Mitterrand as an individual political leader is thus placed in the context of the French political system. Cole contends that in most respects Mitterrand's leadership was of a reactive variety: throughout his presidency he was forced to address agendas he had not selected, and react to events he had not predicted. Francois Mitterrand: A Study in Political Leadership begins with a chronological overview of Mitterrand's career until 1981, and proceeds with a policy-based assessment of his presidency from 1981-93, before attempting to make sense of his highly complex political persona. Mitterrand's leadership is then appraised in relation to various key themes and placed in comparative perspective. The book will be valuable to anyone interested in the career of one of Europe's leading statesmen, and will be of particular interest to students of contemporary French politics.