The End of Democracy in Liberia
The History of the Coups that Overthrew Liberia’s Leaders in the 1980s and Led to Civil War
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Colin Fluxman
About this listen
In the spring of 1786, an organization was founded in London to provide some aid for destitute blacks and Asians in the British capital who were by then beginning to become conspicuous. Quite a number of them were resettled blacks from the American colonies who aided British forces in the Revolutionary War and found themselves thereafter no longer welcome in the United States.
The motivations for this were complicated and varied, and in part they could be explained by an interest in creating circumstances advantageous to blacks, but also to give them an opportunity to form and run a colony effectively in order to debunk a widely held belief that no black man could do such a thing. There was also some value in redistributing freed blacks from the various plantation colonies of the empire, not to mention the political expedience of protecting the British Isles themselves from an expanding population of non-whites generated as a consequence of imperial activities.
The idea of locating this ideal colony in the vicinity of modern Sierra Leone came about thanks to the representations of a plant collector by the name of Henry Smeathman, who had recently returned from the West African region and believed that the Pepper Coast (also referred to as Grain Coast) offered the most viable prospects. At the time, British and European trade in West Africa was vibrant and wide-ranging, including the slave trade, and there was a steady movement of merchant and Royal Navy ships between West Africa and the British mainland. His reasons for advocating that spot are rather vague, although it probably was at the time one of the least deadly stretches of an otherwise fever-ridden coastline.
There was a lot of sentimentality and idealism behind the development of the idea, as well as a certain amount of pragmatism, but the upshot of it was that in 1787, a shipment of 4,000 blacks arrived in several ships offshore of what would today be Freetown. They were essentially dropped off, wished the best of luck, and otherwise abandoned. Conditions, of course, were primitive, and the mortality rate among these early pioneers was atrocious.
One of the first problems they faced was hostility from local tribes, and almost from the moment they landed, they found themselves in a state of war. Nonetheless, they managed to establish a bridgehead, and in due course a colony took root. Numbers were augmented occasionally by independent arrivals, and the steady deposit of captives collected in one way or another by the Royal Navy Atlantic Squadron.
The End of Democracy in Liberia looks at how the 1980 coup changed the country's direction, and the tumultuous decade that followed. You will learn about the end of democracy in Liberia like never before.
©2018 Charles River Editors (P)2018 Charles River EditorsListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Colonization and Establishment of Liberia
- The History of the West African Nation Before the Liberian Civil Wars
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Colonization and Establishment of Liberia looks at how the colony grew, the ideals behind it, what life was like there, and how a tenuous democracy lasted in the colony for over 100 years. You will learn about the settlement of Liberia like never before.
-
-
General Story
- By Zadazuri on 05-17-23
-
The Partition of Ireland and the Troubles: The History of Northern Ireland from the Irish Civil War to the Good Friday Agreement
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Partition of Ireland and the Troubles: The History of Northern Ireland from the Irish Civil War to the Good Friday Agreement analyzes the tumultuous events that marked the creation of Northern Ireland, and the conflicts fueled by the partition. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Northern Ireland like never before.
-
-
The Partition and the Troubles, slightly biased
- By J. Dalton on 05-19-19
-
The Republic of Liberia: The Controversial History and Legacy of the West African Nation That Began as an Experimental Colony
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 1786, an organization was founded in London to provide some aid for destitute blacks and Asians in the British capital who were by then beginning to become conspicuous. Quite a number of them were resettled blacks from the American colonies who aided British forces in the Revolutionary War and found themselves thereafter no longer welcome in the United States. Others were captives, slaves for one reason or another released on the high seas, and other stevedores and sailors washed up on the shore of England.
-
-
This audiobook is informative an brutally truthful
- By nakia Benjamin on 11-10-22
-
Empire of Rubber
- Firestone’s Scramble for Land and Power in Liberia
- By: Gregg Mitman
- Narrated by: Amir Abdullah
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Empire of Rubber tells a sweeping story of capitalism, racial exploitation, and environmental devastation, as the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company transformed Liberia into America's rubber empire. Scouring remote archives, historian and filmmaker Gregg Mitman reveals a history of racial segregation and medical experimentation that reflected Jim Crow America—on African soil. As Firestone reaped fortunes, wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few elites, fostering widespread inequalities that fed unrest, rebellions and, eventually, civil war.
-
-
outstanding
- By Anonymous User on 10-07-24
By: Gregg Mitman
-
Liberty Brought Us Here
- The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia
- By: Susan E. Lindsey
- Narrated by: Madelyn Cruz
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Author Susan E. Lindsey illuminates the trials and triumphs of building a new life in Liberia, where settlers were free, but struggled to acclimate themselves to an unfamiliar land, coexist with indigenous groups, and overcome disease and other dangers. Liberty Brought Us Here: The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia explores the motives and attitudes of colonization supporters and those who lived in the colony, offering perspectives beyond the standard narrative that colonization was driven solely by racism or forced exile.
-
-
very interesting read!
- By Jane A. Gladden on 05-25-21
By: Susan E. Lindsey
-
Mississippi in Africa
- The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their Legacy in Liberia Today
- By: Alan Huffman
- Narrated by: Andrew L. Barnes
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The gripping story of 200 freed Mississippi slaves who sailed to Liberia to build a new colony - where the colonists' repression of the native tribes would beget a tragic cycle of violence. When a wealthy Mississippi cotton planter named Isaac Ross died in 1836, his will decreed that his plantation, Prospect Hill, should be liquidated and the proceeds from the sale be used to pay for his slaves' passage to the newly established colony of Liberia in western Africa.
-
-
Great listen!!!!
- By ayodele higgs on 03-04-15
By: Alan Huffman
-
The Colonization and Establishment of Liberia
- The History of the West African Nation Before the Liberian Civil Wars
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Colonization and Establishment of Liberia looks at how the colony grew, the ideals behind it, what life was like there, and how a tenuous democracy lasted in the colony for over 100 years. You will learn about the settlement of Liberia like never before.
-
-
General Story
- By Zadazuri on 05-17-23
-
The Partition of Ireland and the Troubles: The History of Northern Ireland from the Irish Civil War to the Good Friday Agreement
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Partition of Ireland and the Troubles: The History of Northern Ireland from the Irish Civil War to the Good Friday Agreement analyzes the tumultuous events that marked the creation of Northern Ireland, and the conflicts fueled by the partition. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Northern Ireland like never before.
-
-
The Partition and the Troubles, slightly biased
- By J. Dalton on 05-19-19
-
The Republic of Liberia: The Controversial History and Legacy of the West African Nation That Began as an Experimental Colony
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 1786, an organization was founded in London to provide some aid for destitute blacks and Asians in the British capital who were by then beginning to become conspicuous. Quite a number of them were resettled blacks from the American colonies who aided British forces in the Revolutionary War and found themselves thereafter no longer welcome in the United States. Others were captives, slaves for one reason or another released on the high seas, and other stevedores and sailors washed up on the shore of England.
-
-
This audiobook is informative an brutally truthful
- By nakia Benjamin on 11-10-22
-
Empire of Rubber
- Firestone’s Scramble for Land and Power in Liberia
- By: Gregg Mitman
- Narrated by: Amir Abdullah
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Empire of Rubber tells a sweeping story of capitalism, racial exploitation, and environmental devastation, as the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company transformed Liberia into America's rubber empire. Scouring remote archives, historian and filmmaker Gregg Mitman reveals a history of racial segregation and medical experimentation that reflected Jim Crow America—on African soil. As Firestone reaped fortunes, wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few elites, fostering widespread inequalities that fed unrest, rebellions and, eventually, civil war.
-
-
outstanding
- By Anonymous User on 10-07-24
By: Gregg Mitman
-
Liberty Brought Us Here
- The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia
- By: Susan E. Lindsey
- Narrated by: Madelyn Cruz
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Author Susan E. Lindsey illuminates the trials and triumphs of building a new life in Liberia, where settlers were free, but struggled to acclimate themselves to an unfamiliar land, coexist with indigenous groups, and overcome disease and other dangers. Liberty Brought Us Here: The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia explores the motives and attitudes of colonization supporters and those who lived in the colony, offering perspectives beyond the standard narrative that colonization was driven solely by racism or forced exile.
-
-
very interesting read!
- By Jane A. Gladden on 05-25-21
By: Susan E. Lindsey
-
Mississippi in Africa
- The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their Legacy in Liberia Today
- By: Alan Huffman
- Narrated by: Andrew L. Barnes
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The gripping story of 200 freed Mississippi slaves who sailed to Liberia to build a new colony - where the colonists' repression of the native tribes would beget a tragic cycle of violence. When a wealthy Mississippi cotton planter named Isaac Ross died in 1836, his will decreed that his plantation, Prospect Hill, should be liquidated and the proceeds from the sale be used to pay for his slaves' passage to the newly established colony of Liberia in western Africa.
-
-
Great listen!!!!
- By ayodele higgs on 03-04-15
By: Alan Huffman
-
The Road to Unfreedom
- Russia, Europe, America
- By: Timothy Snyder
- Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With the end of the Cold War, the victory of liberal democracy was thought to be absolute. Observers declared the end of history, confident in a peaceful, globalized future. But we now know this to be premature. Authoritarianism first returned in Russia, as Putin developed a political system dedicated solely to the consolidation and exercise of power. In the last six years, it has creeped from east to west as nationalism inflames Europe, abetted by Russian propaganda and cyberwarfare.
-
-
A Key Understanding of Modern Politics
- By Richard Keohane on 04-08-18
By: Timothy Snyder
-
A Patriot’s History of the United States, Updated Edition
- From Columbus's Great Discovery to America's Age of Entitlement
- By: Larry Schweikart, Michael Allen
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 55 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past decade, A Patriot's History of the United States has become the definitive conservative history of our country, correcting the biases of historians and other intellectuals who downplay the greatness of America's patriots. Professors Schweikart and Allen have now revised, updated, and expanded their book, which covers America's long history with an appreciation for the values that made this nation uniquely successful.
-
-
A Fox News Version of American History
- By Stephen on 05-16-21
By: Larry Schweikart, and others
-
The Coming of the Third Reich
- By: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is no story in 20th-century history more important to understand than Hitler’s rise to power and the collapse of civilization in Nazi Germany. With The Coming of the Third Reich, Richard Evans, one of the world’s most distinguished historians, has written the definitive account for our time.
-
-
Compelling and depressing
- By Tad Davis on 06-30-10
By: Richard J. Evans
-
A Brief History of Ukraine
- A Singular People Within the Crucible of Empires
- By: Dominic Haynes
- Narrated by: Jordan Vogt
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ukraine is a geographically diverse country with the unfortunate fate of being sandwiched between empires. Though this is frequently explored no further than the global conflicts of the 20th century, in reality, Ukraine’s struggle for self-determination has far deeper roots than most people realize. See the splendor of the Kyivan Rus, gallop with the Golden Horde across the Ukrainian steppe, encounter the legendary Cossacks, and witness the terror of the tsars. From the Romans to the Mongols to the Russians, Ukraine has seen it all and remained uniquely Ukrainian through it all.
-
-
Excellent quick listen
- By Thomas J Anderson on 12-14-23
By: Dominic Haynes
-
The New Tsar
- The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin
- By: Steven Lee Myers
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 22 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic tale of the rise to power of Russia's current president—the only complete biography in English–that fully captures his emergence from shrouded obscurity and deprivation to become one of the most consequential and complicated leaders in modern history, by the former New York Times Moscow bureau chief.
-
-
A retelling of facts without much added info
- By A. M. on 03-07-16
By: Steven Lee Myers
-
Alexander Hamilton: A Captivating Guide to One of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander Hamilton is one of the most extraordinary figures in American history. A deep thinker, a military leader, and a political dynamo, he was George Washington's right-hand man and perhaps the most important figure in the shaping of the Constitution. His policies and practices in government set the United States down a path of commercial wealth and economic stability. His ideas still resonate in the powerful nation he helped create. During his time, Hamilton was a divisive figure.
-
-
Alexander Hamilton has inspired me
- By Randall Torrez on 04-25-18
-
Why?
- Explaining the Holocaust
- By: Peter Hayes
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite the outpouring of books, movies, museums, memorials, and courses devoted to the Holocaust, a coherent explanation of why such ghastly carnage erupted from the heart of civilized Europe in the 20th century still seems elusive even 70 years later. Numerous theories have sprouted in an attempt to console ourselves and to point the blame in emotionally satisfying directions - yet none of them are fully convincing.
-
-
Outstanding book! A must read
- By Pierre on 11-13-21
By: Peter Hayes
-
Legacy of Violence
- A History of the British Empire
- By: Caroline Elkins
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 31 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian: a searing study of the British Empire that probes the country's pervasive use of violence throughout the twentieth century and traces how these practices were exported, modified, and institutionalized in colonies around the globe.
-
-
Great ideas, but very disappointing execution
- By Luc Rey-Bellet on 09-05-22
By: Caroline Elkins
-
The Fate of Africa
- A History of the Continent Since Independence
- By: Martin Meredith
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 29 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martin Meredith has revised this classic history to incorporate important recent developments, including the Darfur crisis in Sudan, Robert Mugabe’s continued destructive rule in Zimbabwe, controversies over Western aid and exploitation of Africa’s resources, the growing importance and influence of China, and the democratic movement roiling the North African countries of Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.
-
-
Africa: Land of Hope and Horror
- By Jeff on 03-08-14
By: Martin Meredith
-
Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- By: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
-
-
Excellent Book But First Time Listener Beware
- By Nostromo on 03-23-15
By: Stephen Kotkin
-
Overthrow
- America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq
- By: Stephen Kinzer
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Regime change" did not begin with the administration of George W. Bush, but has been an integral part of U.S. foreign policy for more than one hundred years. Starting with the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and continuing through the Spanish-American War and the Cold War and into our own time, the United States has not hesitated to overthrow governments that stood in the way of its political and economic goals.
-
-
Looking at the dark side
- By Stanley on 08-02-06
By: Stephen Kinzer
-
Brazil: A Biography
- By: Lilia M. Schwarcz, Heloisa M. Starling
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 28 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For many Americans, Brazil is a land of contradictions: vast natural resources and entrenched corruption; extraordinary wealth and grinding poverty; beautiful beaches and violence-torn favelas. Brazil occupies a vivid place in the American imagination, and yet it remains largely unknown. In an extraordinary journey that spans 500 years, from European colonization to the 2016 Summer Olympics, Lilia M. Schwarcz and Heloisa M. Starling's Brazil offers a rich, dramatic history of this complex country.
-
-
Not great; not many English alternatives
- By Seth House on 07-02-19
By: Lilia M. Schwarcz, and others