The first committee for the promotion of industrial cooperatives in China formed on April 3, 1938
Credit- Bridging: A Photo Essay on the Life of Helen Foster Snow
Credit- Bridging: A Photo Essay on the Life of Helen Foster Snow
The Gung-Ho Industrial Cooperatives
工业合作社
When the Japanese invaded China and destroyed many factories, a large number of urban workers fled the cities. Helen was moved to help these refugees. After much discussion with her husband Ed and a friend named Rewi Alley, Helen got an idea that elevated the war-torn people to independence, self-respect, and production of enough goods for national resistance.
"Why not organize the Chinese workers into cooperatives owned and managed by themselves, financed by labor hours instead of cash capital?" -Helen Foster Snow, in Bridging: A Photo Essay on the Life of Helen Foster Snow Credit- The scientologist.com
|
Rewi Alley
Credit- Bridging: A Photo Essay on the Life of Helen Foster Snow The Gung-Ho (a Chinese term for "work together") Industrial Cooperatives, or INDUSCO for short, was an idea introduced by and credited to Helen in 1938. Out of her writing, the term "Gung-Ho" entered the English language and is still used today. INDUSCO is best compared to a type of entrepreneurship.
|
"I believe this idea of industrial cooperatives must have come from her [pioneer] ancestors in the early days when they first moved to Utah. They tried to turn the great desert into farm land."
-An Wei interveiw
-An Wei interveiw
Her vision was for Chinese workers to exchange, or replace, their ineffective business model with cooperatives. INDUSCO was a unique concept of gathering and training workers to set up businesses for them to run and produce goods. It was a huge accomplishment to get Chiang Kai Shek and Mao Zedong to both agree to this revolutionary plan. Through Helen's inspiration and the hard work and determination of Edgar and Rewi Alley, they were able to combine a wartime work relief with cooperatives.
|
Women Learning Weaving Techniques
Credit- Joseph Needham Photographs, nri.org. |
Workers preparing blankets for shipping
Credit- Joseph Needham Photographs, nri.org. |
"The Japanese Bombers destroyed the major industrial cities and [the Chinese] army and civilians had a very serious shortage of goods and materials. In view of this situation, Helen Snow initiated the idea of the Gung-Ho Industrial Cooperatives. She tried to raise funds from home and abroad to organize co-ops."
-An Wei interview |
The successful cooperatives were able to boost the Chinese economy during the war against Japan while teaching the people self-reliance. Helen's blueprint spread and cooperatives were set up across the country.
A group of INDUSCO workers
Credit- Bridging: A Photo Essay on the Life of Helen Foster Snow
Credit- Bridging: A Photo Essay on the Life of Helen Foster Snow
"[The cooperatives] ran training and vocational centers, clinics, printing and publishing houses, and literacy classes for cooperative members and their families. It operated small mines, machine shops and refineries, chemical, glass, and electrical works and produced a broad variety of goods for both civilian and military needs. Using the wool-raising resources of northwestern China, Indusco units were able to produce some three million winter blankets for the Chinese army through 1942." - Season of High Adventure
"Because of the shortage of machines and tools, they had to work together in separate, small groups.
It was a very successful project. It was very significant and [Helen] made a great contribution to wartime peace. Because of this, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 and again in 1984."
-An Wei interview
It was a very successful project. It was very significant and [Helen] made a great contribution to wartime peace. Because of this, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 and again in 1984."
-An Wei interview
Jawaharlal Nehru Former Prime Minister of India
Credit- biography.com |
Helen's idea took root in China and grew globally. Its success attracted the attention of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India. He read Helen's book, China Builds For Democracy, and was impressed to implement these ideas into India's village industry. He was able to establish 10,000 cooperatives in India.
|