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The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair; A History
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The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair; A History of Fifty Years of Independence Paperback - 2006

by Martin Meredith


From the publisher

Fifty years ago, as Europe's colonial powers withdrew, Africa moved with enormous hope and fervor toward democracy and economic independence. Dozens of new states were launched amid much jubilation and the world's applause. African leaders, popularly elected, stepped forward to tackle the problems of development and nation-building. In the Cold War era, the new states excited the attention of the superpowers. Africa was considered too valuable a prize to lose.

Today, Africa is a continent rife with disease, death, and devastation. Most African countries are effectively bankrupt, prone to civil strife, subject to dictatorial rule, and dependent on Western assistance for survival. The sum of Africa's misfortunes -- its wars, its despotisms, its corruption, its droughts -- is truly daunting.

What went wrong? What happened to this vast continent, so rich in resources, culture and history, to bring it so close to destitution and despair in the space of two generations?

Focusing on the key personalities, events and themes of the independence era, Martin Meredith's riveting narrative history seeks to explore and explain the myriad problems that Africa has faced in the past half-century, and faces still. From the giddy enthusiasm of the 1960s to the "coming of tyrants" and rapid decline, The Fate of Africa is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how it came to this -- and what, if anything, is to be done.

First line

At his headquarters at Christiansborg Castle, a seventeenth-century slaving fort from where British governors had ruled the Gold Coast for fifty years, Sir Charles Arden-Clarke awoke on the morning of 9 February 1951 to face the most difficult decision of his career.

Details

  • Title The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair; A History of Fifty Years of Independence
  • Author Martin Meredith
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: First
  • Pages 752
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher PublicAffairs, New York
  • Date June 26, 2006
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781586483982 / 1586483986
  • Weight 2.15 lbs (0.98 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.2 x 6 x 2.1 in (23.37 x 15.24 x 5.33 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Africa - Economic conditions - 1960-, Africa - Politics and government - 1960-
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005047576
  • Dewey Decimal Code 960.32

About the author

Martin Meredith is a journalist, biographer and historian who has written extensively on Africa. His previous books include In the Name of Apartheid; Nelson Mandela; Our Votes, Our Guns: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe; and Elephant Destiny. He lives near Oxford, England.
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