ABSTRACT
The study of politics in this University College was introduced relatively recently, as was the case in most universities in this country. But, of course, here as elsewhere aspects of the subject were taught from the very beginning as part of the instruction given in more orthodox fields of learning such as classics, history, philosophy, and literature. The first specific appointment of a lecturer in politics was not made until 1949, the chair of political theory and government being established four years later. And the 1950’s were the period in which political studies very firmly came into their own in British universities. So, despite this late start as compared with more traditional subjects, when I arrived in Swansea I found an already large and very flourishing department. And my first, and most gratifying, task on this occasion is to express my esteem and my thanks to all those who created and tended this thriving development in the face of real, if sometimes transient, difficulties.
