Editing People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea (1958–1984)
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''See also: [[1958 French constitutional referendum]]'' | ''See also: [[1958 French constitutional referendum]]'' | ||
After the successful unionization efforts among Sekou Touré and the Democratic Party, such as the creation of the Federation of Workers' Union of Guinea and the execution of labor strikes in coordination with other labor movements in French West Africa, the base of the Democratic Party of Guinea began pushing for independence in the midst of the 1958 constitutional referendum. Sekou Touré, who was then Vice President of the autonomous loi cadre government, didn't endorse independence initially leading to many to suspect he had been corrupted by the interterritorial leadership of the African Democratic Rally. Touré's endorsement of independence came after his meeting with the interterritorial leadership during the PDG's party congress, after which he was confronted by crowds of Guineans shouting their opposition to the French Community. Despite this, Touré continued to express his intent to work out a similar agreement of cooperation and stated that independence was a means of Africans expressing their maturity on the world stage and a necessary footpath to engage with Europe as equals. The French government however was disinterested in this cooperation, and in response to the Democratic Party's endorsement of independence prior to the referendum colonial administrators planned the complete isolation of a post-independence Guinea. Colonial officials cut telephone wires, removed machinery from the capital port, stopped moving goods through Guinean ports, hid infrastructure plans and burned medicine en masse. Most notably, the 4 billion Francs in the Guinean reserve were relocated to Dakar by military personnel and French technical staff were instructed to destroy what they can't bring back to France. | After the successful unionization efforts among Sekou Touré and the Democratic Party, such as the creation of the Federation of Workers' Union of Guinea and the execution of labor strikes in coordination with other labor movements in French West Africa, the base of the Democratic Party of Guinea began pushing for independence in the midst of the 1958 constitutional referendum. Sekou Touré, who was then Vice President of the autonomous loi cadre government, didn't endorse independence initially leading to many to suspect he had been corrupted by the interterritorial leadership of the African Democratic Rally. Touré's endorsement of independence came after his meeting with the interterritorial leadership during the PDG's party congress, after which he was confronted by crowds of Guineans shouting their opposition to the French Community. Despite this, Touré continued to express his intent to work out a similar agreement of cooperation and stated that independence was a means of Africans expressing their maturity on the world stage and a necessary footpath to engage with Europe as equals. The French government however was disinterested in this cooperation, and in response to the Democratic Party's endorsement of independence prior to the referendum colonial administrators planned the complete isolation of a post-independence Guinea. Colonial officials cut telephone wires, removed machinery from the capital port, stopped moving goods through Guinean ports, hid infrastructure plans and burned medicine en masse. Most notably, the 4 billion Francs in the Guinean reserve were relocated to Dakar by military personnel and French technical staff were instructed to destroy what they can't bring back to France. | ||
=== Independence === | === Independence === | ||
After rejecting the French Community, the territorial assembly declared the formal independence of the Republic of Guinea and empowered itself with the drafting of a new constitution. As a result, post-independence Guinea saw its self completely isolated and after France most Guinean imports, the country was stripped of its major export revenues and saw its economic progression severely limited;<ref | After rejecting the French Community, the territorial assembly declared the formal independence of the Republic of Guinea and empowered itself with the drafting of a new constitution. As a result, post-independence Guinea saw its self completely isolated and after France most Guinean imports, the country was stripped of its major export revenues and saw its economic progression severely limited;<ref>{{Citation|author=Elizabeth Schmidt|year=2007|title=Cold War and decolonization in Guinea, 1946-1958|title-url=https://archive.org/details/coldwardecoloniz0000schm/mode/2up|publisher=Ohio University Press}}</ref> however, the creation of the [[Union of African States|Ghana-Guinea Union]] in an attempt to build a [[United States of Africa]] granted the nation substantial financial support from the [[First Republic of Ghana (1960–1966)|Republic of Ghana]].<ref>[https://aaprp-intl.org/ahmed-sekou-toure-at-100/ Ahmed Sékou Touré @ 100]</ref> A mere 17 days after securing independence, Sekou Touré and the Democratic Party broke off from the [[African Democratic Rally]] and formed the [[African Democratic Revolution]]. The new government also proclaimed a National Democracy, the stage in which colonial-era structures are replaced under the one-party state for the purpose of suppressing ethnic and social contradictions to develop a nation. Unlike a People's Republic, National Democracy doesn't presuppose class struggle and instead focuses on mass organization.<ref>{{Citation|author=Sekou Toure|title=Doctrine and Methods of the Democratic Party}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|author=Sekou Toure|title=Africa on the Move}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|author=Sekou Toure|title=Strategy and Tactics of the Revolution}}</ref> | ||
In November 1961, teachers in Guinea took part in demonstrations in protest of working conditions, however documents presented by students protesting in support of the teachers promoted Guinea joining the Eastern Bloc and criticized its neutrality in the Cold War. The Guinean government believed the Soviet embassy was in collusion with the strike in an attempt to push Guinea into the Eastern bloc, prompting them to label the affair as the Teacher's Plot and expel Soviet ambassador Daniel Solod after the suppression of the strikes.<ref>{{Citation|author=Thomas O'Toole|year=1978|title=Historical dictionary of Guinea (Republic of Guinea/Conakry)|title-url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000otoo/mode/2up|quote=TEACHER'S PLOT. An alleged plot against the government announced by Guinean leaders in November 1961. Basically teachers were complaining about working conditions but some of the documents presented by the pupils demonstrating in support of the teachers contained some leftwing ideological criticisms of the government. Among these statements were those suggesting that Guinea had to choose between Eastern- bloc and Western-bloc support Toure ordered the expulsion of the Soviet ambassador suggesting that the ambassador was supporting teachers' demands that the Guinean government become a member of the Eastern bloc. The Soviet role in the strike has never been verified but five members of the teachers' union were executed and others fled or were imprisoned. See PLOTS|publisher=Scarecrow Press}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|author=Thomas O'Toole|year=1978|title=Historical dictionary of Guinea (Republic of Guinea/Conakry)|title-url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000otoo/mode/2up|quote="Teacher’s Plot" put down; Daniel Solod, Soviet Ambassador, expelled|publisher=Scarecrow Press}}</ref> | In November 1961, teachers in Guinea took part in demonstrations in protest of working conditions, however documents presented by students protesting in support of the teachers promoted Guinea joining the Eastern Bloc and criticized its neutrality in the Cold War. The Guinean government believed the Soviet embassy was in collusion with the strike in an attempt to push Guinea into the Eastern bloc, prompting them to label the affair as the Teacher's Plot and expel Soviet ambassador Daniel Solod after the suppression of the strikes.<ref>{{Citation|author=Thomas O'Toole|year=1978|title=Historical dictionary of Guinea (Republic of Guinea/Conakry)|title-url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000otoo/mode/2up|quote=TEACHER'S PLOT. An alleged plot against the government announced by Guinean leaders in November 1961. Basically teachers were complaining about working conditions but some of the documents presented by the pupils demonstrating in support of the teachers contained some leftwing ideological criticisms of the government. Among these statements were those suggesting that Guinea had to choose between Eastern- bloc and Western-bloc support Toure ordered the expulsion of the Soviet ambassador suggesting that the ambassador was supporting teachers' demands that the Guinean government become a member of the Eastern bloc. The Soviet role in the strike has never been verified but five members of the teachers' union were executed and others fled or were imprisoned. See PLOTS|publisher=Scarecrow Press}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|author=Thomas O'Toole|year=1978|title=Historical dictionary of Guinea (Republic of Guinea/Conakry)|title-url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000otoo/mode/2up|quote="Teacher’s Plot" put down; Daniel Solod, Soviet Ambassador, expelled|publisher=Scarecrow Press}}</ref> | ||
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== Administrative divisions == | == Administrative divisions == | ||
== Foreign relations == | |||
In 1959, [[People's Republic of China|China]] began providing technical assistance and [[interest]]-free loans to Guinea.<ref name=":1222">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2008|title=The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World|chapter=Notes|page=300|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceascnzh26r5d6uitjjs2z7rflhaxlt7rboz5whzdf76qg6xxvecqq?filename=%28A%20New%20Press%20People%27s%20history%29%20Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20The%20darker%20nations_%20a%20people%27s%20history%20of%20the%20third%20world-The%20New%20Press%20%282008%29.pdf|publisher=The New Press|isbn=9781595583420|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=9B40B96E830128A7FE0E0E887C06829F}}</ref> | |||
== Economy == | == Economy == |