Robert Mugabe came to power in Zimbabwe in 1980 after a long civil war in Rhodesia. The white minority government had become an international outcast in refusing to give in to the inevitability of black majority rule. Finally the defiant white prime minister Ian Smith was forced to step down and Mugabe was elected president. Initially he promised reconciliation between white and blacks, encouraged Zimbabwe's economic and social development, and was admired throughout the world as one of the leaders of the emerging nations and as a model for a transition from colonial leadership. But as Martin Meredith shows in this history of Mugabe's rule, Mugabe from the beginning was sacrificing his purported ideals—and Zimbabwe's potential—to the goal of extending and cementing his autocratic leadership. Over time, Mugabe has become ever more dictatorial, and seemingly less and less interested in the welfare of his people, treating Zimbabwe's wealth and resources as spoils of war for his inner circle. In recent years he has unleashed a reign of terror and corruption in his country. Like the Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Zimbabwe has been on a steady slide to disaster. Now for the first time the whole story is told in detail by an expert. It is a riveting and tragic political story, a morality tale, and an essential text for understanding today's Africa.
Mugabe
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...the best argued and best written indictment yet of the man Nelson Mandela mockingly calls Comrade Bob." The Economist "This book is highly readable, clear and fast-moving. It is excellent on Mugabe's early life and the way he became drawn into the struggle of Zimbabwe." Financial Times "As a well-written chronicle of Zimbabwe's degradation, this book is of great value." Sunday Telegraph "Martin Meredith's account of the pursuit of power and plunder is especially good on the early years of Mugabe..." Daily Telegraph "Martin Meredith's book is not so much a biography as a brief gallop through the unfolding moral fable of independent Zimbabwe to the present day. As such it is a useful short guide..." Sunday Times"
About the Author
Martin Meredith has spent much of his life writing about Africa: first as a foreign correspondent for the London Observer and Sunday Times, then as a research fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford, and now as an independent author and commentator. He is the author of In the Name of Apartheid: South Africa's New Era, The Past is Another Country, The First Dance of Freedom, Nelson Mandela, and Coming to Terms: South Africa's Search for Truth.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By Chris Kreft
Format:Hardcover
As a Zimbabwean who had to leave the country due to it's current troubles, it was very difficult for me to pick up this book and look for answers to some of the many questions I had about what went wrong in my homeland. However, I came away fascinated by Martin Meredith's careful piecing together of the last three or four decades of Zimbabwe's history. He has assembled a brilliant account of the rise and rule of Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party, and has, for the most part, accurately detailed the major events that have occurred since Mugabe came to power in 1980. The book is not only an account for Zimbabweans, but is written so that any person who is not informed of Zimbabwe's present crises will receive an in-depth look of all that has gone wrong in what was once "the breadbasket of Subsaharan Africa."
On an aside, this book bears a strong resemblance to another Amazon listing: "Our Votes, Our Guns: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe" by Martin Meredith. Although I have not read this second book, I believe that they are one and the same book.
by Martin Meredith
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By E
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I served briefly in Mugabe's Zimbabwe as a transiting diplomat in 1998 after the bombings of our East African embassies. I was astounded how someone could spit in the face of the economic forces that provided him with the lavish lifestyle he so enjoyed. This book does an excellent job of portraying the nascence and subsequent decay of one of the world's most corrupted minds. The breadbasket of Africa was turned into desert by this man. Everyone should read this book.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For anyone interested in beginning to understand the dynamics of Zimbabwe's recent electoral crisis, this book is essential. Meredith goes into Mugabe's long history of violence,who like Mao sees violence as essential for politics. From the war waged against opposing guerilla forces because of political differences, the slaughter of 10,000 in Matabeleland, the seizure of white farms, threatening judges who ruled against the ZANU-PF government, and electoral violence, what we are seeing is nothing new, as Meredith reminds us. He also hints at the ethnic and racial tensions driving the politics and violence, something too often forgotten in today's media coverage. For example, Mugabe's ZANU-PF has its roots in the rural Shona ethnic group, while the Movement for Democratic change is much more urban and has many white supporters.
The book is also relatively short (about 244 pages) and easy to read. Meredith provides a huge amount of detail without wasting too many words (or the reader's time).
I think the book could have used a bit more of an introduction into Zimbabwe's and Africa's history more generally for the uninitiated to allow us to compare Mugabe's rule to how politics was conducted in the past in the country and the wider continent. For example, some readers might not realize the importance tribal and ethnic divides play in many African countries. However, any ignorance in this regard could be fixed by reading Meredith's other books on Africa.
Usually in biographies authors try to psychoanalyze their subject. Fortunately, Meredith does not try to do this. He provides insights using quotes and sources, not psychobabble. This is not only good academic practice, but also creates an alarming effect in the book in which Mugabe himself often seems somewhat distant, except through his public statements. That indeed appears to be how he is in real life, alienated from his nation, isolated from the people, and removed from reality.
I hope he comes out with another revised version when Mugabe finally falls from power.
[note: this book is a revised version of "Our Votes, Our Guns". It says this clearly on the front cover and back, but just to warn future readers...]
The book is also relatively short (about 244 pages) and easy to read. Meredith provides a huge amount of detail without wasting too many words (or the reader's time).
I think the book could have used a bit more of an introduction into Zimbabwe's and Africa's history more generally for the uninitiated to allow us to compare Mugabe's rule to how politics was conducted in the past in the country and the wider continent. For example, some readers might not realize the importance tribal and ethnic divides play in many African countries. However, any ignorance in this regard could be fixed by reading Meredith's other books on Africa.
Usually in biographies authors try to psychoanalyze their subject. Fortunately, Meredith does not try to do this. He provides insights using quotes and sources, not psychobabble. This is not only good academic practice, but also creates an alarming effect in the book in which Mugabe himself often seems somewhat distant, except through his public statements. That indeed appears to be how he is in real life, alienated from his nation, isolated from the people, and removed from reality.
I hope he comes out with another revised version when Mugabe finally falls from power.
[note: this book is a revised version of "Our Votes, Our Guns". It says this clearly on the front cover and back, but just to warn future readers...]
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Despot governments
Recommended read if interested in studying history of demise of a successful country. A succinct summary of the despot government in Zimbabwe which is not much different to many... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Desvic
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always knew the Protagonist was 'bad' but wow !
its well written and factual
I have an infinity with Zimbabwe having been mugged in Harare some years ago. Read more
I have an infinity with Zimbabwe having been mugged in Harare some years ago. Read more
Published 2 months ago by gaggatini
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
A great and informative read. I had no idea that the Mugabe regime was that brutal and corrupt. That Zimbabwe functions at all is amazing. Well done I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Published 4 months ago by Joe Mc
3.0 out of 5 stars
Documenting Mugabe's years of misrule
This slim paperback delivers a fairly concise, brief and dispassionate review of Mugabes life and years in power, from his early days right up to 2007. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ferro
5.0 out of 5 stars
Portrait of a deranged despot
This book outlines the career of an evil and utterly ruthless man who emerged from being a key figure in a guerrilla war fought against white minority rule, to engineering through... Read more
Published on May 13, 2009 by Gary Selikow
4.0 out of 5 stars
Too late for many
As usual with Mr Meredith, a well written and researched book. Had he written this earlier and I had read it earlier I would not have held on to living in Zimbabwe, hoping for a... Read more
Published on February 16, 2009 by A. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Zimbabwe's tragedy
This book looks at the rule of Robert Mugabe, whose story is unfortunately like so many others in Africa. Read more
Published on November 1, 2008 by James D. Crabtree
2.0 out of 5 stars
Reissue of Votes/Guns
2 stars is not a judgment on the quality of this work. No, the low rating is due to the misleading title of the book. Read more
Published on May 2, 2008 by D. Berry
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT book on mugabe/zimbabwe
great book. i'm not really a book guy. i had to read an african book for a class so i chose mugabe.
this book easily held my attention. Read more
this book easily held my attention. Read more
Published on April 5, 2008 by shells
