When Things Fell Apart
State Failure in Late-Century Africa

Robert H. Bates addresses the origins of state failure in late twentieth-century Africa.

Robert H. Bates (Author)

9780521887359, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 February 2008

218 pages, 12 tables
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.43 kg

'An old hand in US political science on Africa with a university career which stretches over more than 40 years, Bates combines some of the most attractive, but also some of the more problematic traditions of his trade.' Comparativ

In the later decades of the twentieth century, Africa plunged into political chaos. States failed, governments became predators, and citizens took up arms. In When Things Fell Apart, Robert H. Bates advances an exploration of state failure in Africa. In so doing, he not only plumbs the depths of the continent's late-century tragedy, but also the logic of political order and the foundations of the state. This book covers a wide range of territory by drawing on materials from Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, and Congo. A must-read for scholars and policy makers concerned with political conflict and state failure.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction
2. From fable to fact
Part II. Sewing the Seeds: 3. Political legacies
4. Policy choices
5. Subnational tensions
Part III. Things Fell Apart: 6. Things fell apart
7. Conclusion
Part IV. Appendix.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP], Comparative politics [JPB], African history [HBJH]