num_pages: 218
description: In the later decades of the 20th century Africa plunged into political chaos. States failed governments became predators and citizens took up arms. In When Things Fell Apart Robert H. Bates advances an explanation of state failure in Africa. In so doing he not only plumbs the depths of the continent's late-century tragedy but also the logic of political order and the foundations of the state. This book covers a wide range of territory by drawing on materials from Rwanda Sudan Liberia and Congo. Written to be accessible to the general reader it is nonetheless a must-read for scholars and policy makers concerned with political conflict and state failure.
language: English
title: When Things Fell Apart: State Failure in Late-Century Africa
publisher: Cambridge University Press