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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The Liberian Nation in Revolt: A Psychological Analysis of Recent Events |
Author: | Thomas-Queh, James |
Year: | 1987 |
Periodical: | Liberian Studies Journal |
Volume: | 12 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 188-207 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Liberia |
Subjects: | political conditions 1970-1979 1980-1989 nationalism Politics and Government |
Abstract: | Focusing on recent upheavals in Liberia, including the military coup of 1980, the author explores the psychological factors that contributed to the transformation of the complacent Liberian population into active groups more conscious of their destiny. The article's first section treats this popular transformation, indicating the uncertainty and the hope accompanying the change of leadership following President Tubman's unexpected death in 1971 after almost three decades of absolute rule, and the contradictions generated by his successor, William R. Tolbert, Jr., which soon led to a general state of deception and the emergence of dissidents and radical social movements, notably the Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) in 1973 and the Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL) in 1978. The second section analyses how the Liberian people went from sporadic protests to mass revolt, culminating in the April 12, 1980, coup d'état or anarchy, fuelled by a situation in which rumours as to the fate of imprisoned opposition leaders on the eve of the first anniversary of the 1979 Rice Uprising were rife. The last section synthesizes the current dilemma of the masses in their continuing struggle for a more equitable and just society. Ref. |