Idi Amin : the story of Africa's icon of evil / Mark Leopold.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Leopold, Mark, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Amin, Idi, 1925-2003.

Amin, Idi.

Presidents--Uganda--Biography.

Presidents.

Uganda--Politics and government--1971-1979.

Uganda.

Politics and government.

Uganda--History--1971-1979.

History.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 351 pages, 12 pages of plates : illustrations (some color), map ; 20 cm

Edition:

[Paperback edition].

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press 2021.

Summary:

The first serious full-length biography of modern Africa's most famous dictator. Idi Amin began his career in the British army in colonial Uganda, and worked his way up the ranks before seizing power in a British-backed coup in 1971. He built a violent and unstable dictatorship, ruthlessly eliminating perceived enemies and expelling Uganda's Asian population as the country plunged into social and economic chaos. In this powerful and provocative new account Mark Leopold places Amin's military background and close relationship with the British state at the heart of the story. He traces the interwoven development of Amin's career and his popular image as an almost supernaturally evil monster, demonstrating the impossibility of fully distinguishing the truth from the many myths surrounding the dictator. Using an innovative biographical approach, Leopold reveals how Amin was, from birth, deeply rooted in the history of British colonial rule, how his rise was a legacy of imperialism, and how his monstrous image was created.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. `Wrung From The Withers Of The Western Nile': Background, Birth And Youth, 1928(?)

46

2. `He Comes From A Fighting Race': Life In The King's African Rifles, 1946(?)

59

3. A Resistible Rise? 1959

65

4. Amin And Obote, 1965

69

5. `Martial Music': The Build-Up, The Coup And The Aftermath, 1969

71

6. A Honeymoon And Four Divorces: The First Two Years Of Uganda's Second Republic, 1971

73

7. The Centre Cannot Hold: President Amin, 1973

76

8. Decline And Fall: Idi Amin And Uganda, 1977

79, And After.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0300260881

9780300260885

OCLC:

1235775526