Ghana and the Rawlings Factor

by Kevin Shillington

This volume tells the story of two popular revolutions in Ghana, both of them led by the same man, the young Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, now Head of Ghana's government, the Provisional National Defence Council. The book includes interviews with many of the key players in the drama, including Rawlings himself. In the first revolution, in June 1979, Rawlings came to purge the military of corruption before handing over power to a newly elected civilian government. The second revolution came just 27 months into the Third Republic and this time Rawlings was determined that power would be returned to the people, enabling Ghana to be rebuilt from the grassroots. This book traces those turbulent years from the perspective of ten years on, and discusses the significance of Rawlings in the recent history of his country and the continent. As Ghana approaches its Fourth Republic, "Ghana and the Rawlings Factor" analyzes the revolution's attempts to evolve a "true democracy" and assesses the country's chances of leading Africa into a new era of freedom and justice. Other books by the author include "History of Southern Africa", "History of Africa" and "Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius".

184 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1992

About the author

Dr Kevin Shillington is an independent historian and biographer. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London. His recent books include History of Africa, 4th edition (2019) and Patrick van Rensburg: Rebel, Visionary and Radical Educationalist (2020).

Reviews

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and quick to read.

[Jerry Asiedu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's one of the best books that has taught me how the coup began and why it began