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Zimbabwe - A Case Study of Political Turmoil

Zimbabwe was formerly a successful economy as a British colony but has seen turmoil under President Robert Mugabe's rule since 1980. Mugabe's forced seizure of white-owned farms and flawed elections have led to sharp economic declines, food shortages, and hundreds of thousands of citizens emigrating. While defending his policies, critics blame food shortages partly on the land reforms and say Mugabe's economic policies prioritize maintaining his own power over prosperity.

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162 views2 pages

Zimbabwe - A Case Study of Political Turmoil

Zimbabwe was formerly a successful economy as a British colony but has seen turmoil under President Robert Mugabe's rule since 1980. Mugabe's forced seizure of white-owned farms and flawed elections have led to sharp economic declines, food shortages, and hundreds of thousands of citizens emigrating. While defending his policies, critics blame food shortages partly on the land reforms and say Mugabe's economic policies prioritize maintaining his own power over prosperity.

Uploaded by

zlatanish
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Zimbabwe A case study of political turmoil

Zimbabwe was formerly the British colony Rhodesia. For many years it was one of the most
successful economies in Africa. It was a major tobacco producer and a potential breadbasket
for surrounding countries.
President Mugabe was the first and only prime minister of Zimbabwe since it gained
independence in 1980.
Under the control of president of Mugabe the country has seen the forced seizure of almost
all white-owned commercial farms, with the stated aim of benefiting landless black
Zimbabweans, led to sharp falls in production and precipitated the collapse of the agriculturebased economy. The country has endured rampant inflation and critical food and fuel
shortages.
Many Zimbabweans survive on grain handouts. Others have voted with their feet; hundreds of
thousands of Zimbabweans, including much-needed professionals, have emigrated.
Aid agencies and critics partly blame food shortages on the land reform programme. The
government blames a long-running drought, and Mr Mugabe has accused Britain and its allies
of sabotaging the economy in revenge for the redistribution programme.
Mr Mugabe was declared the winner of the 2002 presidential elections, considered seriously
flawed by the opposition and foreign observers. He received a boost in 2005 when Zanu-PF
won more than two-thirds of the votes in parliamentary elections, said by the MDC to be
fraudulent.
The size of the win enabled the president to change the constitution, paving the way for the
creation of an upper house of parliament, the Senate.
Ideologically, Mr Mugabe belongs to the African liberationist tradition of the 1960s - strong and
ruthless leadership, anti-Western, suspicious of capitalism and deeply intolerant of dissent
and opposition.
His economic policies are widely seen as being geared to short-term political expediency and
the maintenance of power for himself. Mr Mugabe has defended his land reform programme,
saying the issue is the "core social question of our time".
Copy and complete the table

Country: Zimbabwe
GDP PER CAPITA: 2100

Continent:
Life expectancy: 39.5 years

HDI: 0.491

Natural Hazards: recurring droughts

President:
Effects of political turmoil:

Time in Power:

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