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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Guru, visionary and superchief: an analysis of the impact of the cult of the presidency on the development of democracy in Liberia
Author:Kieh, G.K.ISNI
Year:1988
Periodical:Liberia-Forum
Volume:4
Issue:6
Pages:8-19
Language:English
Geographic term:Liberia
Subjects:democracy
presidential systems
Abstract:Like in other African States, the presidency is the acropolis of the Liberian polity. The development of the 'cult of the presidency' in Liberia can be divided into two major periods: the era of settler hegemony (1847-1926) and the epoch of the class system (from 1926). This article shows that the cult of the presidency was primarily established to address specific imperatives in the political and economic system. First, during the latter half of the period of settler hegemony, the cult emerged in response to particular needs of the settler State. Second, after Liberia's incorporation into the global economic system, the primary function of the cult shifted to the providing of a political and economic climate conducive to the accumulation of capital. Since its establishment, the cult has failed to facilitate the process of building a democratic tradition and its attendant institutions. Bibliogr.
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