The Congo from Leopold to Kabila

A People's History

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja

$170

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Zed Books Ltd
01 February 2002

African history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies; Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies; Political structures: democracy

The people of the Congo have suffered from a particularly brutal colonial rule, American interference after independence, decades of robbery at the hands of the dictator Mobutu and periodic warfare which continues even now in the East of the country. But, as this insightful political history makes clear, the Congolese people have not taken these multiple oppressions lying down and have fought over many years to establish democratic institutions at home and free themselves from foreign exploitation; indeed these are two aspects of a single project.

Professor Nzongola-Ntalaja is one of his country's leading intellectuals and his panoramic understanding of the personalities and events, as well as class, ethnic and other factors, make his book a lucid, radical and utterly unromanticized account of his countrymen's struggle. His people's defeat and the state's post-colonial crisis are seen as resulting from a post-independence collapse of the anti-colonial alliance between the masses and the national leadership .

This book is essential reading for understanding what is happening in the Congo and the Great Lakes region under the rule of the late President Kabila, and now his son. It will also stand as a milestone in how to write the modern political history of Africa.

By: Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
Imprint: Zed Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 440g
ISBN: 9781842770528
ISBN 10: 1842770527
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 February 2002
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. Imperialism, Belgian Colonialism and African Resistance 2. The Struggle for Independence 3. The First Congo Crisis 4. The Second Independence Movement 5. The Mobutu Regime: Dictatorship and State Decay 6. The Struggle for Multiparty Democracy 7. Conflict in the Great Lakes Region Conclusions

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is a renowned scholar of African politics and an international consultant specializing in public policy, governance and conflict-related issues. Past President of the African Studies Association of the United States (ASA) and of the African Association of Political Science (AAPS), Professor Nzongola is the author of several books and numerous articles on African politics, development, and conflict issues. His major work, The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History, won the 2004 Best Book Award of the African Politics Conference Group (APCG), an organization of American political scientists specializing on Africa.

Reviews for The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History

'Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is one among those very few intellectuals who possesses the background, the knowledge, the commitment and the vantage point from which to assess the historical possibilities for contemporary Congo.' - Mahmood Mamdani, Herbert Lehman Professor of Government, Columbia University 'This book could not be more timely. It throws new light on the past struggle for democracy in the Congo while indicating possible directions for the future. Political leaders, civil society leaders and activists, indeed all Congolese patriots and intellectuals, should read this remarkable book' - Mbaya Kankwenda, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria 'A leading Congolese scholar-activist, Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, delivers his magnum opus. The book is the product of a lifetime of study of Congolese politics, both as observer and participant. The richly documented narrative makes clear why Congolese nationalism survives the collapse of its state, the many decades of oppressive rule, and the depredations of external forces.' - Crawford Young, University of Wisconsin-Madison 'It is refreshing to have a well-written popular history of the Congo by a Congolese scholar and sometime activist' - Choice