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

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Dissertation / thesis

Title:	Military coups in Sub-Saharan Africa: how to justify illegal assumptions of power
Author:	Wiking, Staffan
Year:	1983
Pages:	144
Language:	English
City of publisher:	Uppsala
Publisher:	Scandinavian Institute of African Studies
ISBN:	9171062149
Geographic term:	Subsaharan Africa
Subjects:	coups d'état defence dissertations (form)
Abstract:	Comperative study, in three parts, of military coups in Africa south of the Sahara between 1958 and 1980. The first part deals with several different theories found in the literature concerning coups d'état on a more general level. The second part is an empirical review concentrating on the justifications given by military leaders for their interventions. The third part is an attempt to compare the explanations given by the research in Part one with the justifications presented in Part two. Central for the study of the justifications are the initial declarations, i.e. the first statements made by the new military rulers in connection with their assumption of power. The initial declarations are found in transcriptions of the radiomessages broadcast as soon as the radiostations have been occupied. An important assumption is that the initial declarations might have more to say about the new rulers' political expectations and interpretations than any other statements made when power is already secured.