Between 1952 and 1981 there were no less than thirty-one coups or military takeovers in Africa, thirty of which took place between 1963 and 1981. Babatope's historical narrative describes inter alia, the coups in Nigeria, Ghana, Zaire, Upper Volta, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, Central African Republic, Mali, Congo Brazzaville, Uganda, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Liberia and Niger. Drawing parallels between the various examples he explores their causes, rooted predominantly in history and foreign influence, tribal wrangling for power and corruption, and the exploitation of illiteracy. He shows that eighteen of the coups were against civilian power, and thirteen against soldiers in power, of which only three could rightly be considered revolutionary - Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. He argues that every military regime has been an unmitigated disaster, and that only democracy, modelled on the kind of African socialism developed by Nyerere can bring about real improvement. Obafemi Awolowo has written the foreword to the book.

Coup: Africa and the Barrack Revolts

Babatope, Ebenezer

Literature & Fiction

Fourth Dimension Publishing Company

This book was published in the immediate aftermath of Jerry Rawlings' 1981 coup, and proclamation of the Ghana Revolution in January 1982. The author gives an account of the history of the socialist African revolution in Ghana from Nkrumah to Rawlings. He argued that Rawlings represented a continuity of the socialist African revolution, which drove Nkrumah and other revolutionary leaders to commit the resources and future of Ghana to overcome the imperial powers. He puts the case for the continuing need for a unified, self-reliant socialist state, and considers the high hopes for Rawlings' revolution and socialist ideology, with which he concurs, including his potential to inspire other African revolutions, provide the strong African leadership required for greater African economic independence, and an African presence in international relations. The book represents a historical view of Rawlings' role at a particular point in time.

The Ghana Revolution

History

Babatope, E.

Africa

The struggle for power in Nigeria

J. West Publications

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