Suchergebnisse

We cannot do better than Marcello Cecco's (1984: 1) concise definition
of an international gold standard: it exists 'when gold is the effective
numeraire in most countries, and/or when the other means of payment
used as monetary numeraire in those countries are readily redeemable
in gold at their bearers' request'. Such a standard existed from the mid-1890s to 1914, even though Britain went on the gold standard much
earlier than that, in 1816, and Germany a little over a half century
later, in 1871. The Latin Union in Europe (France, Belgium,
Switzerland and Italy) did not join effectively until 1900 (Mertens
1994). Many claims were, and are still made for the system: that it
facilitated international trade by providing a uniform standard of
value; and as an automatic adjustment system, it freed markets from
the (nationalistic) interference of public authorities while it created
price equalisation in traded goods and ensured, over a protracted
period, price stability.The 'Gold Standard' in the title of this talk refers to the 'academic
gold standard' invoked by Lord Ashby (1964; see also Austin 1980),
one time Master of Clare College, Cambridge, a British educationist
who was deeply involved with the development of universities in the
later years of colonial rule in British West Africa. Although the
University of the Witwatersrand and the city of Johannesburg owe a
great deal to the gold industry, my talk is not about money or the
metal's place in it. It is about the metaphorical 'academic gold
standard'.

Summary in English. Includes discussion of national liberation movements.

Bien qu'il y ait des différences évidentes entre les conflits civils qui entraînent une intervention importante des puissances externes comme en Angola, en Ethiopie, et au Tchad, il y aussi des similarités importantes que peut relever une analyse comparative. Loin d'obéir fidèlement aux clivages fondamentaux de la société, ou bien aux intérêts sociaux qui s'y rapportent, le déroulement de ces conflits traduit plutôt les déchirements d'une seule strate sociale ayant une relation très spécifique avec l'Etat — ce que nous appelons « la strate étatique ». Nous nous penchons sur trois aspects de ces guerres, à savoir, « l'autonomie de l'Etat » et sa spécificité comme champs de lutte aussi bien que but recherché par ceux qui se battent ; les caractéristiques sociales de ceux qui animent les formations politico-militaires opposées ; et la tendance qu'ont les interventions inter­nationales à accroître l'indépendance de l'Etat et sa puissance devant la société et à l'éloigner davantage des intérêts réels de la société.

This article explores Soviet foreign policy toward southern Africa. Moscow's approach to the region has been mainly one of restraint, and it has avoided additional economic and military burdens since the collapse of the Portuguese Empire. The region does not hold great strategic or economic significance for the Soviet Union, and Moscow is not willing to incur high risks. The author concludes that the changing pattern of Soviet influence in Africa is mainly a function of changes within African states. The deepening crisis in South Africa may point to the need for revolutionary solutions, but these would occur without Western aid and with minimal Soviet assistance.

Developments since 1976.