The coup d’état has plagued Africa since the wave of independence that swept over the continent in the 1950s and 60s (Drury, Shearer, Cole, Hernann, & Sharif 2010). During this period, newly decolonized countries were handed the keys to their own political, economic, and social autonomy. With this autonomy, however, also came great instability. Numerous African countries such as Zaire were given very little time to develop their own governments, economy, and infrastructure of their own (Pfaff 1991). When European countries cut colonial ties with Africa, the bulk of their railroads, telephone lines, banks, and other types of European infrastructure were either no longer accessible to Africans or would fail over time without upkeep (Creary 2012).
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According to Huntington (1968), there are several types of coups. This includes breakthrough coups, arbiter coups, and the veto coup d’état. Breakthrough coups are the result of a revolutionary group, such as the military, overthrowing the incumbent government—after which, they take over as the new regime. An arbiter coup is a coup that occurs as members of a state are in the middle stages of participating in the political process. This time can be quite volatile because as more and more individuals become actively involved in politics, conflict can arise between the groups that they choose to join. In the event that riots non-peaceful demonstrations break out between these groups, the military within the state might intervene to restore order. In a veto coup d’état, the military suppresses the political participation and social mobilization of the …show more content…
While Johnson, Slater, and McGowan argue (1984) that a state’s coup susceptibility is mainly based on its range of economic success rather than the aspects of modernization, this study, amongst others, fails to consider the role of the western world in the African economy. Not only were African states left to pick up the economic pieces after decolonization, but have faced imperialism and resource extortion from outside influences since then (Vallianatos 2011). This influence often comes in the form of neo-colonialism from wealthier countries that make deals with sub-Saharan leaders in exchange for loans, job creation, or food endowment. For example, Monsanto employing African workers to grow cash crops or China loaning African countries money in exchange for billions of dollars in
According to Huntington (1968), there are several types of coups. This includes breakthrough coups, arbiter coups, and the veto coup d’état. Breakthrough coups are the result of a revolutionary group, such as the military, overthrowing the incumbent government—after which, they take over as the new regime. An arbiter coup is a coup that occurs as members of a state are in the middle stages of participating in the political process. This time can be quite volatile because as more and more individuals become actively involved in politics, conflict can arise between the groups that they choose to join. In the event that riots non-peaceful demonstrations break out between these groups, the military within the state might intervene to restore order. In a veto coup d’état, the military suppresses the political participation and social mobilization of the …show more content…
While Johnson, Slater, and McGowan argue (1984) that a state’s coup susceptibility is mainly based on its range of economic success rather than the aspects of modernization, this study, amongst others, fails to consider the role of the western world in the African economy. Not only were African states left to pick up the economic pieces after decolonization, but have faced imperialism and resource extortion from outside influences since then (Vallianatos 2011). This influence often comes in the form of neo-colonialism from wealthier countries that make deals with sub-Saharan leaders in exchange for loans, job creation, or food endowment. For example, Monsanto employing African workers to grow cash crops or China loaning African countries money in exchange for billions of dollars in