Military coups in sub-Saharan Africa : how to justify illegal assumptions of power

Abstract

This is a comparative study of military coups in Africa south of the Sahara between 1958 and 1980. The study is divided into three parts. The first part deals with some different theories found in literature concerning coups d'état on a more general level. The second part is an empirical review concentrating on the justifications given by the military leaders for their interventions. The third part is an attempt to compare the explanations given by the researchers in Part one with the justifications presented in Part two.Contents: Part I. Diverse Attempts to Explain Military Intervention in Politics -- 1. Military Rule -- 2. Explanations Connected with Foreign Interests and Foreign Influence -- 3. Explanations Connected with Societal Conditions -- 4. Explanations Connected with Government-Military Relations -- 5. Explanations Connected with Intramilitary Conditions -- 6. Explanations Connected with Individual Perspectives -- Part II. Empirical Presentation and Typology -- 7. Various Justifications -- 8. Different Types of Coups -- 9. Military Coups in Sub-Saharan Africa -- Part III. Attempts by the Military to Explain Their Involvement in Politics -- 10. Foreign Interests and Foreign Influence -- 11. Societal Conditions -- 12. Government-Military Relations -- 13. Intramilitary professionalism -- 14. Individual Perspectives </p