WP 17 | 11 What differences does a century make? Considering some crises in the international cooperative movement, 1900 and 2000

The ending of one century and the beginning of another is a ritualistic time for “taking stock”; a time for understanding what has changed and what has largely remained the same; a time to measure what has been accomplished, what has been lost. That is as true for movements as it is for institutions and countries. It is, of course, a rather arbitrary way of taking stock, though such evaluations can produce useful insights into the common understandings of a movement’s or an institution’s history; it can encourage new resolve for old projects and enhanced recognition of both issues and possibilities.