In September 1958, Guinea claimed its independence, rejecting a
constitution that would have relegated it to junior partnership in
the French Community. In all the French empire, Guinea was the only
territory to vote "No." Orchestrating the "No" vote was the Guinean
branch of the Rassemblement Democratique Africain (RDA), an
alliance of political parties with affiliates in French West and
Equatorial Africa and the United Nations trusts of Togo and
Cameroon. Although Guinea's stance vis-a-vis the 1958 constitution
has been recognized as unique, until now the historical roots of
this phenomenon have not been adequately explained.
Clearly written and free of jargon, "Cold War and Decolonization
in Guinea" argues that Guinea's vote for independence was the
culmination of a decade-long struggle between local militants and
political leaders for control of the political agenda. Since 1950,
when RDA representatives in the French parliament severed their
ties to the French Communist Party, conservative elements had
dominated the RDA. In Guinea, local cadres had opposed the break.
Victimized by the administration and sidelined by their own
leaders, they quietly rebuilt the party from the base. Leftist
militants, their voices muted throughout most of the decade, gained
preeminence in 1958, when trade unionists, students, the party's
women's and youth wings, and other grassroots actors pushed the
Guinean RDA to endorse a "No" vote. Thus, Guinea's rejection of the
proposed constitution in favor of immediate independence was not an
isolated aberration. Rather, it was the outcome of years of
political mobilization by activists who, despite Cold War
repression, ultimately pushed the Guinean RDA tothe left.
The significance of this highly original book, based on previously
unexamined archival records and oral interviews with grassroots
activists, extends far beyond its primary subject. In illuminating
the Guinean case, Elizabeth Schmidt helps us understand the
dynamics of decolonization and its legacy for postindependence
nation-building in many parts of the developing world.
Examining Guinean history from the bottom up, Schmidt considers
local politics within the larger context of the Cold War, making
her book suitable for courses in African history and politics,
diplomatic history, and Cold War history.
General
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