Between 1960 and 1983 the Dutch economist Dr. Albert Winsemius (1910-1996) was the most influential economic adviser to the government of Singapore and one of the leading architects of Singapore’s... Show moreBetween 1960 and 1983 the Dutch economist Dr. Albert Winsemius (1910-1996) was the most influential economic adviser to the government of Singapore and one of the leading architects of Singapore’s highly successful development model. Winsemius' beliefs and recommendations chimed with the views of Singapore’s first-generation postcolonial political leaders and quickly grew in popular appeal once they started yielding impressive economic results. Winsemius’ uncompromising hostility to communism, and at the same time his sympathy toward moderate trade unionism, were of particular importance here.This research identifies strategies and policies that contributed to Singapore's development, and that can be traced to Albert Winsemius as a historical principal. It concludes that in essence, many of these successful strategies and policies were based on Winsemius’ experiences in his earlier life and career: the economic reconstruction in the Netherlands in the years after World War Two, in which he played a key role, his empathy toward the United States and the American way of life, his contacts with other right-wing governments, and his involvement during the Cold War in the production of arms. Show less
Bedachtzame revolutionairen (Cautious revolutionaries) analyzes debates among the opposition in Czechoslovakia and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) during the last fifteen years of communist... Show moreBedachtzame revolutionairen (Cautious revolutionaries) analyzes debates among the opposition in Czechoslovakia and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) during the last fifteen years of communist rule. It compares how during the 1970s and 1980s the East German and Czech opposition movements debated several issues (the relevance of socialism, the tension between peace and human rights, cultural criticism and environmental activism), how they reacted to the Soviet reforms that from 1985 onwards changed the political landscape in Central and Eastern Europe, and, finally, how they acted during the breakdown of the communist regimes in 1989. Contrary to what current historiography suggests, this book argues that reform socialism, cultural criticism and a critical attitude towards Western consumer society and party democracy were not themes unique for the East German opposition. However, the division of Germany and the permanent flow of emigration to the West did have a decisive impact on the social composition and political outlook of the opposition in the GDR, which, unlike the Czechs, almost completely lacked leading intellectuals and was far more optimistic about the prospects of a reformed socialism. Show less
