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Challenges to Internationalism within the Co-operative Movement: One Historian’s views

Explore the history and challenges of international co-operation movements, from the early visionaries to modern challenges like nationalism, state relationships, war impacts, and development issues. Discover the resilience and potential of co-operative models globally.

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Challenges to Internationalism within the Co-operative Movement: One Historian’s views

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  1. Challenges to Internationalism within the Co-operative Movement: One Historian’s views by Ian MacPherson Emeritus Professor of History Co-director and Principal Investigator The National Hub The Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., Canada clluny1@uvic.ca

  2. Thanks to Darryl Reed • My past interests • My future hopes

  3. The Optimism (Hubris?) of Beginnings • Inherited and early enthusiasms for co-operative internationalism • Philosophe, Owen/St Simon traditions • ICA 1895

  4. Our Understandings • Early writings: Charles Gide, the Webbs, • Miscellany, ephemera • J. Birchall, The International Co-operative Movement (Manchester, 1995) • Rita Rhodes, The ICA in War and Peace (Geneve, 1995) • Dispersed sources: national accounts, special studies • The elephant and the octopus

  5. Eurocentric Conceptualisations • Nationalism/sector dualities, 1900 • UK-consumer • France - worker • Denmark - agriculture • Germany - banking • North/South/Central Europe • The ideological complexities • The daughters • Projection outward -- the donor fallacy • Matters of legislation and regulation

  6. And yet, some claim to “universality” • confidence in urban and rural working people to develop, govern, and manage co-operatives of different kinds • believed that democratic control was as important as political democracy • advocated creating business entities that did not over-privilege capital or management • educated people even as it sold them groceries, sold their produce, or taught them the virtues of thrift

  7. And yet, some claim to “universality” - 2 • use local power to amass greater concentrations of power through democratic federations and other kinds of responsible structures • believed that people, through the development of Associative Intelligence, could learn how to co-operate • and envisioned organisations that were based on real not speculative value. • Less culture bound than other European ideological exports? Marx? Manchester liberalism?

  8. The internationalist visionaries • The early ICA years: Henry J. May, Charles Gide, Totomainz • Will Watkins, Howard Cowden, James Warbasse, Surem Saxena • Mauritz Bonow, Nils Thedin, Lars Marcus • The national supporters: India, Japan, United States, Canada,Brazil, Argentina • Individuals and organisations

  9. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 1 • Dynamics of co-operative organisations • Sector, local, federations, national interests • Weak aspects of national apex organisations • Flow of knowledge

  10. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 2 2. The uncertainties of state relationships

  11. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 3 3. War and Disaster • the impact of WWI • Recognition • Surmounting the divisions • Rebuilding: the League • Addressing international issues • Producer/consumer split • The impact of WWII • The German movement • The United Nations • The cold war • The expansion of alternatives:

  12. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 4 4. The USSR and the Centrally-Planned Economies • The historic debates with Marxists • The question of state involvement • Inability to address key issues • The competition in the South • Positions on peace • Suspicion of co-operatives

  13. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 5 5. Fascism • Impact on Germany + Italy (Portugal? Spain?) • Problems for the ICA

  14. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 6 • Imperialism • Important roles • Regulators • Diverse roles • Mixed co-op legacies • Taint of imperial associations

  15. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 7 7. The challenges of “development” • Importance after WWII • The sad impact of competition • Mixed results • Need for analysis and study, training and engagement • Issue of sustainability • Complexity of permanent connectivities

  16. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 7 7. The impact of independence movements • Surprising importance • The politics of scarcity • Suspect use of the state and patronage • The founder syndrome • The rejection amid structural adjustment • The weakening amid democratic and elite restructuring

  17. Why the visionaries have not been well heard - 8 8. The knowledge limitations • Uneven research in quantity, variety and quality • Problem of accessibility • Poor understanding of recipients -- their experiences and reflections

  18. Given the problems, should we just adjourn and find a place to enjoy some good Swedish beer?

  19. NO!!!

  20. A self Thank you!!!! cluny1@vic.ca

  21. Despite the problems…. • 1 billion members • Top 300 employ 20% more people than multi-nationals • Over 300 types of co-ops • 200 years (more?) of history • A model that works, fitfully at times but perpetually • Capacity to work in different contexts • “A movement of the past” is not an argument, it is sophistry, often made for elf-interest, that avoids the key issues • Importance and interest as a field of research

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