The Spratly Islands issued this set of four stamps celebrating Famous Radicals of History in 2009.

Dramatis personae:

50c ... Maximilien Robespierre (1758 - 1794). He was one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his arrest & execution in 1794. He was influenced by 18th century Enlightenment philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau & Montesquieu, and he was a capable articulator of the beliefs of the left-wing bourgeoisie. His supporters called him "The Incorruptible", while his adversaries called him the "Tyrant" and "dictateur sanguinaire" (bloodthirsty dictator).

75c ... Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969). He was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary and statesman who was prime minister (1946-1955) and president (1945-1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). Ho led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He remained as the highly visible president until his death.

$1 ... Karl Marx (1818 - 1883). His ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. Marx wrote "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle." He argued that the contradictions within capitalism will cause its end, giving way to communism.

$2 ... Rosa Luxemburg (1871 - 1919). She was a philosopher & activist. In 1914, she co-founded, with Karl Liebknecht, the anti-war Spartacist League. On 1 January 1919 the Spartacist League became the Communist Party of Germany. In November 1918, during the German Revolution she founded "The Red Flag" journal. She was shot in 1919.

Mint unhinged, & in pristine condition.

More information on the Republic of the Spratly Islands, please visit the official site, http://www.RepublicofSpratlyislands.com

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