Overview

On April 12, 1980, a group of soldiers led by Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe executed a bloody coup that put an end to the Americo-Liberian minority regime in Liberia, transforming Africa’s first republic into a military dictatorship. In Liberia under Samuel Doe, 1980-1985: The Politics of Personal Rule, Yekutiel Gershoni examines the evolution and effects of Samuel K. Doe’s reign in Liberia. Gershoni shows Doe’s path to absolute power, corruption, and dictatorship and the economic crises and political turmoil that ensued, even after his murder in 1990. Liberia under Samuel Doe also examines the role of the United States as Liberia’s closest ally, detailing how Doe managed to attract American diplomatic and military support due to U.S. interests in the Cold War. Through in-depth research, primary sources, and interviews with diplomats, politicians, and activists, Gershoni carefully details the timeline of Doe’s rise to power and the lasting effects of his dictatorial legacy.

Full Product Details

Author:   Yekutiel Gershoni
Publisher:   Lexington Books
Imprint:   Lexington Books
Dimensions:   Width: 16.00cm , Height: 3.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.780kg
ISBN:  

9781793617873

ISBN 10:   1793617872
Pages:   398
Publication Date:   15 July 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Part 1: Holding on for Dear Life Chapter 1: In the Cause of the People Chapter 2: Sacrifice and Survival Chapter 3: Getting Foreign Aid Part 2: The Beginning of Personal Rule Chapter 4: From Primus Inter Pares to the Head of the Pyramid Chapter 5: Travels Abroad, Austerity at Home Chapter 6: Tightening Control Chapter 7: Bungles Part 3: A Façade of Democracy Chapter 8: Completion of the Draft Constitution Chapter 9: Circumventing Com Con Chapter 10: Pressing Forward and Holding Back Chapter 11: A Terrible Betrayal Part 4: The Battle for the Presidency Chapter 12: Clearing Obstacles to the Presidency Chapter 13: The Persecution and Ouster of Sawyer Chapter 14: Assault on the Rival Parties Chapter 15: Constrained Campaigning and Rigged Elections Conclusion

Reviews

Gershoni's volume is an exceptional piece of scholarship which provides rigorous analysis of an African autocratic regime. This impressive scholarship on Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, bequeaths important insights into antecedents of civil conflicts and the broader political economy of development. The book serves as a biography of Samuel Kanyon Doe, as it chronicles the autocrat's rise to presidential power and his abuses of such power, including his persecution of political opponents; the killing of an army general in the aftermath of a failed counter-coup; and fraudulent elections and media censorship. Gershoni brilliantly unpacks how political maleficence, ineptitude, and economic mismanagement converged and provide a fertile ground for civil unrest and anarchy in Liberia. Gershoni takes the reader through relatively uncharted archival excursions in an attempt to juxtapose historical events with contemporary socio-economic and political developments in Liberia. He interrogates salient missteps in Liberia's developmental processes and interweaves them into larger global geopolitical processes. The volume captures key junctures in Liberia's political trajectory.--Danielle Taana Smith, Renee Crown University and Syracuse University

This book by Yekutiel Gershoni is a most welcome contribution to the study of military regimes and their impact on states and societies not only in Liberia and Africa. It is based on thorough and meticulous research using a variety of sources, both written and oral. Transcending theories, he tells a story of evil, greedy humans and their devastating impact on their society. While presenting the story even-handedly, his moral judgment is clear. Gershoni, who had to cope with severe physical handicaps throughout his academic life, passed before he could see the fruit of his endeavor come to light. This book is a testimony to his intellectual achievements and to the invincibility of the human spirit.--Mordechai Tamarkin, Tel Aviv University Gershoni's volume is an exceptional piece of scholarship which provides rigorous analysis of an African autocratic regime. This impressive scholarship on Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, bequeaths important insights into antecedents of civil conflicts and the broader political economy of development. The book serves as a biography of Samuel Kanyon Doe, as it chronicles the autocrat's rise to presidential power and his abuses of such power, including his persecution of political opponents; the killing of an army general in the aftermath of a failed counter-coup; and fraudulent elections and media censorship. Gershoni brilliantly unpacks how political maleficence, ineptitude, and economic mismanagement converged and provide a fertile ground for civil unrest and anarchy in Liberia. Gershoni takes the reader through relatively uncharted archival excursions in an attempt to juxtapose historical events with contemporary socio-economic and political developments in Liberia. He interrogates salient missteps in Liberia's developmental processes and interweaves them into larger global geopolitical processes. The volume captures key junctures in Liberia's political trajectory.--Danielle Taana Smith, Renee Crown University and Syracuse University

A fascinating and detailed account of Samuel Doe's skillful, but often brutal, five-year transition from coup leader to Liberia's president after a rigged election. Yekutiel Gershoni weaves a comprehensive, well-documented account drawing from published contemporary accounts as well as interviews and correspondence with key participants. He includes a compelling account of the maneuverings and dynamics between Doe and the National Constitution Commission. Gershoni dispels the frequent portrayal of Doe as an unsophisticated, uneducated soldier, showing him as a complicated, talented, but fatally flawed coup leader, who used his intelligence, cunning, and political skill while willing to lie, manipulate, betray his allies and friends, and use violence in order to consolidate and grow his power. Doe's lust for power, overweening ambitions, and failure to grasp that he was often a pawn for international powers manipulating him for advantage in Cold War and Middle Eastern politics ultimately led to his violent downfall. A fascinating and detailed account of Samuel Doe's skillful, but often brutal, five-year transition from coup leader to Liberia's president after a rigged election. Yekutiel Gershoni weaves a comprehensive, well-documented account drawing from published contemporary accounts as well as interviews and correspondence with key participants. He includes a compelling account of the maneuverings and dynamics between Doe and the National Constitution Commission. Gershoni dispels the frequent portrayal of Doe as an unsophisticated, uneducated soldier, showing him as a complicated, talented, but fatally flawed coup leader, who used his intelligence, cunning, and political skill while willing to lie, manipulate, betray his allies and friends, and use violence in order to consolidate and grow his power. Doe's lust for power, overweening ambitions, and failure to grasp that he was often a pawn for international powers manipulating him for advantage in Cold War and Middle Eastern politics ultimately led to his violent downfall. --Verlon Stone, Head, Indiana University Liberian Collections (Retired) Gershoni's volume is an exceptional piece of scholarship which provides rigorous analysis of an African autocratic regime. This impressive scholarship on Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, bequeaths important insights into antecedents of civil conflicts and the broader political economy of development. The book serves as a biography of Samuel Kanyon Doe, as it chronicles the autocrat's rise to presidential power and his abuses of such power, including his persecution of political opponents; the killing of an army general in the aftermath of a failed counter-coup; and fraudulent elections and media censorship. Gershoni brilliantly unpacks how political maleficence, ineptitude, and economic mismanagement converged and provide a fertile ground for civil unrest and anarchy in Liberia. Gershoni takes the reader through relatively uncharted archival excursions in an attempt to juxtapose historical events with contemporary socio-economic and political developments in Liberia. He interrogates salient missteps in Liberia's developmental processes and interweaves them into larger global geopolitical processes. The volume captures key junctures in Liberia's political trajectory. Gershoni's volume is an exceptional piece of scholarship which provides rigorous analysis of an African autocratic regime. This impressive scholarship on Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, bequeaths important insights into antecedents of civil conflicts and the broader political economy of development. The book serves as a biography of Samuel Kanyon Doe, as it chronicles the autocrat's rise to presidential power and his abuses of such power, including his persecution of political opponents; the killing of an army general in the aftermath of a failed counter-coup; and fraudulent elections and media censorship. Gershoni brilliantly unpacks how political maleficence, ineptitude, and economic mismanagement converged and provide a fertile ground for civil unrest and anarchy in Liberia. Gershoni takes the reader through relatively uncharted archival excursions in an attempt to juxtapose historical events with contemporary socio-economic and political developments in Liberia. He interrogates salient missteps in Liberia's developmental processes and interweaves them into larger global geopolitical processes. The volume captures key junctures in Liberia's political trajectory. --Danielle Taana Smith, Ren�e Crown University and Syracuse University This book by Yekutiel Gershoni is a most welcome contribution to the study of military regimes and their impact on states and societies not only in Liberia and Africa. It is based on thorough and meticulous research using a variety of sources, both written and oral. Transcending theories, he tells a story of evil, greedy humans and their devastating impact on their society. While presenting the story even-handedly, his moral judgment is clear. Gershoni, who had to cope with severe physical handicaps throughout his academic life, passed before he could see the fruit of his endeavor come to light. This book is a testimony to his intellectual achievements and to the invincibility of the human spirit. This book by Yekutiel Gershoni is a most welcome contribution to the study of military regimes and their impact on states and societies not only in Liberia and Africa. It is based on thorough and meticulous research using a variety of sources, both written and oral. Transcending theories, he tells a story of evil, greedy humans and their devastating impact on their society. While presenting the story even-handedly, his moral judgment is clear. Gershoni, who had to cope with severe physical handicaps throughout his academic life, passed before he could see the fruit of his endeavor come to light. This book is a testimony to his intellectual achievements and to the invincibility of the human spirit. --Mordechai Tamarkin, Tel Aviv University

Author Information

Yekutiel Gershoni is professor emeritus of African history in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University.

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