ABSTRACT

The field of authoritarian rule in Africa has been little plowed, and the phenomena of dictatorship and tyranny on the continent have barely been explored. In the Central African Republic, the factors underlying Bokassa’s seizure of power were, likewise, the complete erosion of authority on the part of the political leadership and progressive economic decay. Political power is highly personalized in Africa, and personal rule is virtually the norm. This holds true for most political systems on the continent, whether civilian or military, elitist or overtly populist, or conservative or radical. Personal rule can thus be seen as a fundamentally elitist style of governance that trades off patronage and societal rewards to other political aspirants or socially influential figures in exchange for personal support and political quiescence. Personal rule need not be authoritarian, although, by definition, it is autocratic and inimical to the development of a completely open and competitive political system.