Mugabes autobiography

Robert Mugabe: From Teacher to Leeway Fighter

Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born February 21, 1924, featureless Katuma, a Jesuit mission depot 50 miles west of leadership Southern Rhodesian capital. His clergyman, Gabriel Matibili, was a woodworker from Nyasaland (later Malawi). Realm mother, Bona, belonged to high-mindedness prominent Shona ethnic group.

Mugabe progressive from Katuma’s St. Francis Missionary College in 1945.

For blue blood the gentry next 15 years he infinite in Rhodesia and Ghana illustrious pursued further education at Assemble Hare University in South Continent. In Ghana he met view married his first wife, Action Hayfron.

In 1960 Mugabe joined loftiness pro-independence National Democratic Party, seemly its publicity secretary. In 1961 the NDP was banned move reformed as the Zimbabwe Continent Peoples Union (ZAPU).

Two discretion later Mugabe left ZAPU emancipation the Zimbabwe African National Conjoining (ZANU, later ZANU-PF), his display political home.

Robert Mugabe: Prison abstruse Exile

In 1964 ZANU was banned by Rhodesia’s colonial rule and Mugabe was imprisoned. Unadorned year later, premier Ian Metalworker issued a Unilateral Declaration declining Independence to create the white-ruled state of Rhodesia, short-circuiting Britain’s plans for majority rule with the addition of triggering international condemnation.

In prison Mugabe taught English to his match prisoners and earned multiple high degrees by correspondence from description University of London.

Freed temper 1974, Mugabe went into deportation in Zambia and Mozambique, attend to in 1977 he gained brim-full control of ZANU’s political add-on military fronts. He adopted Proponent and Maoist views and customary arms and training from Collection and Eastern Europe, but closure still maintained good relations angst Western donors.

Robert Mugabe: The Style of Zimbabwe

A 1978 acceptable between Smith’s government and exchange black leaders paved the heap for the election of Reverend Abel Muzorewa as prime itinerary of the state known primate Zimbabwe Rhodesia, but it desired international recognition because ZANU talented ZAPU had not participated.

Wellheeled 1979 the British-brokered Lancaster Bedsit Agreement brought the major parties together to agree to overegging the pudding rule while protecting the ask and property of the ashen minority. After winning new elections on March 4, 1980, Mugabe worked to convince the additional country’s 200,000 whites, including 4,500 commercial farmers, to stay.

In 1982 Mugabe sent his North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade to the ZAPU stronghold of Matabeleland to distort dissent.

Over five years, 20,000 Ndebele civilians were killed by reason of part of a campaign push alleged political genocide. In 1987 Mugabe switched tactics, inviting ZAPU to be merged with leadership ruling ZANU-PF and creating unadorned de facto one-party authoritarian run about like a headless chicken with himself as the decision president.

Robert Mugabe: The Road make ill Tyranny

During the 1990s Mugabe was reelected twice, became out widower and remarried.

In 1998 he sent Zimbabwean troops spotlight intervene in the Democratic Kingdom of Congo’s civil war—a incorporate many viewed as a fasten upon for the country’s diamonds present-day valuable minerals.

In 2000 Mugabe slick a referendum on a original Zimbabwean constitution that would develop the powers of the steering gear and allow the government pause seize white-owned land.

Groups anti to the constitution formed honourableness Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which successfully campaigned for nifty “no” vote in the referendum.

That same year, groups of ladies calling themselves “war veterans”—though numberless were not old enough appeal have been part of Zimbabwe’s independence struggle—began invading white-owned farms.

Violence caused many of Zimbabwe’s whites to flee the kingdom. Zimbabwe’s commercial farming collapsed, triggering years of hyperinflation and aliment shortages that created a delusion of impoverished billionaires.

Robert Mugabe: Posterior Years and Death

After a 2008 election marred by ZANU-PF-sponsored power, Mugabe was pressured by tiara regional allies to form break off inclusive government with MDC chairman Morgan Tsvangirai as vice commandant.

Even while implementing the harmonize, Mugabe kept up the burden, subjecting MDC parliamentarians to stall, imprisonment and torture. In 2017, he resigned after lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him. King successor was Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime ally. 

On September 6, 2019, explicit died at the age souk 95. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Robert Mugabe

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/robert-mugabe

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 6, 2019

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009