Guinée was the only French colony that, bravely or foolishly, refused a close collaboration with France at the time of its independence. This choice was a political shock on an international scale.... Show moreGuinée was the only French colony that, bravely or foolishly, refused a close collaboration with France at the time of its independence. This choice was a political shock on an international scale. The famous “Non!” by Guinée’s leader Sékou Touré marked the beginning of a socialist era in which the regime slowly developed into a dictatorship on the one hand, but on the other hand became an internationally regarded leading voice in the global struggle for decolonization. Stamps from the first years after Guinée’s independence in 1958 do not strongly attest to any political fervor inspired by the “Non!” It is argued that Guinée’s stamps of the years after independence feature the country’s first steps in the international world order and illustrate the country’s search for a respected position in international politics. A comparison with neighboring state Mali shows, however, that Guinée’s stamps do actively attest to the governments’ national and international political concerns. Show less
This paper sets out to reconstruct Pannekoek’s understanding of scientific socialism in order to reconnect Pannekoek’s political and astronomical work. It does so through a close reading of... Show moreThis paper sets out to reconstruct Pannekoek’s understanding of scientific socialism in order to reconnect Pannekoek’s political and astronomical work. It does so through a close reading of Pannekoek’s early socialist essays, where he repeatedly referred to socialism’s scientific character, explaining it in various ways. From this reading, three different but closely related conceptions of scientific socialism can be abstracted. For Pannekoek, socialism was scientific in that it embraced modern science, in that it supposedly uncovered the laws of societal development, and in that it foretold the advent of socialism. The paper shows how, for Pannekoek, socialism was the only ideology with a true interest in scientific research and findings. This line of reasoning allowed Pannekoek to connect his astronomical and socialist persona. Show less
This book explores the new types of political organization that emerged in Western Europe and the United States during the nineteenth century, from popular meetings to single-issue organizations... Show moreThis book explores the new types of political organization that emerged in Western Europe and the United States during the nineteenth century, from popular meetings to single-issue organizations and political parties. The development of these has often been used to demonstrate a movement towards democratic representation or political institutionalization. This volume challenges the idea that the development of ‘democracy’ is a story of rise and progress at all. It is rather a story of continuous but never completely satisfying attempts of interpreting the rule of the people. Taking the perspective of nineteenth-century organizers as its point of departure, this study shows that contemporaries hardly distinguished between petitioning, meeting and association. The attraction of organizing was that it promised representation, accountability and popular participation. Only in the twentieth century did parties reliable partners for the state in averting revolution, managing the unpredictable effects of universal suffrage, and reforming society. This collection analyzes them in their earliest stage, as just one of several types of civil society organizations, that did not differ that much from each other. The promise of organization, and the experiments that resulted from it, deeply impacted modern politics. Show less
