Robert Mugabe, a leader who was once regarded by countless as a liberation hero, was re-elected president at the age of 90, marking the pinnacle of his personal power. However, the leader, who had been in power for nearly 40 years, pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse in the following years.
Zimbabwe's path to independence
After Robert Mugabe was released from prison in 1974, he chose a more difficult and challenging path instead of living quietly. He was well aware that Zimbabwe's independence and the freedom of its people would not come automatically and would have to be won through struggle. As a result, Mugabe threw himself into Zimbabwe's liberation struggle, and he went to neighbouring Mozambique, which became the base from which he began his new struggle.
In Mozambique, Mugabe founded the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (SEN), not only as a military organization, but also as a symbol of solidarity among the Zimbabwean people. They used guerrilla warfare against the powerful Rhodesian government forces at the time. This flexible tactic allows them to effectively strike the enemy even when they are inferior in resources and equipment, disrupting the enemy's logistics line and putting enormous pressure on the enemy. However, the guerrilla war was more difficult than imagined, and Mugabe and his comrades had to survive in the harsh natural environment while evading the pursuit and blows of the enemy.
During this struggle, Mugabe and his fighters faced great danger to their lives. They set up rudimentary camps in the mountains and forests of Mozambique, where they went out day and night to train and plan. They have developed deep connections with the local population and received much of the necessary support, including food, information and shelter. Mugabe knows that their struggle cannot succeed without popular support. Therefore, they are also committed to helping the local people, improving their living conditions and winning hearts and minds.
Over the years, Mugabe and his fighters also suffered heavy losses. Many fighters died in battle, but their sacrifices were not in vain, but became an incentive to motivate others to continue fighting. Mugabe himself has nearly lost his life on several occasions, but he has always stood up to his faith and will not give in to the obstacles.
Challenges in the early years of Zimbabwe's independence
18 April 1980 marked a turning point in Zimbabwe's history, ending a 90-year colonial period when Zimbabwe declared its formal independence from British colonial rule. Robert Mugabe, a former guerrilla fighter and political prisoner who is now Zimbabwe's first prime minister, is confronted with a country in desperate need of reconstruction. Zimbabwe's independence put an end to foreign domination, but the new nation immediately faced internal challenges.
Mugabe's priority is to unify the country and heal the ethnic rifts buried deep during the colonial period. Zimbabwe's ethnic makeup is complex, with the white minority, although small in number, holding the country's economic lifeline and most of its land resources before independence. The black majority, despite its large numbers, has long lived in poverty and oppression. The historical legacy of this inequality has become an urgent task that Mugabe and his government must face and address.
In the early years of his tenure, Mugabe took a series of measures to stabilize the country, trying to ease ethnic tensions and achieve harmony in the country through policies. He declared a policy of reconciliation, encouraged peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups, and sought to reduce inequality in the land through land reform programs. However, the implementation of agrarian reform has not been smooth because of the complex economic, social and political factors involved, in particular the need to balance domestic demand with the expectations of international investors, which has made the reform process slow and contentious.
In addition, Mugabe faces enormous challenges in building the country's economy. At the time of independence, Zimbabwe had a weak economic base and underdeveloped industry, despite being rich in natural resources, such as minerals and fertile farmland. Mugabe's government has formulated a series of policies aimed at promoting economic development, including encouraging foreign investment and developing agriculture and manufacturing. The government hopes to improve people's living standards and reduce poverty through economic development, thereby enhancing social cohesion.
Agrarian reform and social unrest
The political change in 1987 that saw Zimbabwe move from a prime minister to a presidential system not only marked a major realignment of the country's political system, but also symbolized the further consolidation of Robert Mugabe's position in Zimbabwe's political arena. As the first president under the new regime, one of Mugabe's top challenges is to address long-entrenched racial inequalities, particularly those at the heart of land distribution.
Before Zimbabwe's independence, a large amount of land was occupied by a small number of whites, while the vast majority of blacks were in a state of land scarcity. Even in the years following independence, this situation has not fundamentally changed. White farmers still controlled most of the country's high-quality farmland, while black farmers mostly cultivated on poorer land. This extreme inequality is not only an economic problem, but also a concentrated manifestation of social and racial contradictions, and has become a major hidden danger to Zimbabwe's social stability.
In 2000, the Zimbabwean government, under the leadership of Robert Mugabe, adopted a decisive land reform measure, a policy centred on the imposition of compulsory land expropriation aimed at reclaiming large amounts of land from white farmers and redistributing them to landless or landless black farmers. The purpose of this policy is to address long-standing land injustices as a means of improving the living conditions of the black majority.
However, the implementation of this policy did not develop as expected. First, due to a lack of adequate preparation and appropriate support measures, many newly acquired black farmers lacked the necessary agricultural skills, capital, and resources to develop their land effectively. As a result, much of the newly allocated land has not been fully utilized, resulting in a significant decline in agricultural productivity. In addition, the break-up of large commercial farms previously run by white farmers has led to the collapse of their original agricultural production systems and supply chains, further exacerbating the decline in agricultural production.
These changes have had a profound impact on Zimbabwe's agricultural economy. Agriculture has always been one of the pillars of Zimbabwe's economy, and the export of crops such as tobacco and maize, in particular, is vital to the country's foreign exchange earnings. With the sharp decline in agricultural production, Zimbabwe's food security is under threat, and the lack of food production has forced the country to increase food imports. At the same time, foreign exchange earnings, which had been dependent on agricultural exports, were sharply reduced, which dealt a major blow to the country's economy.
The international community has reacted strongly to the Zimbabwean Government's land reform policy. Many Western countries have expressed strong dissatisfaction with land expropriation and have used this as an excuse to reduce or completely stop aid to Zimbabwe. The lack of external assistance, coupled with problems in economic management, has caused Zimbabwe's economy to quickly fall into trouble.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe was facing an unprecedented economic crisis. High inflation became a daily phenomenon and then evolved into severe hyperinflation, which caused the Zimbabwean currency to depreciate sharply. In this economic environment, the cost of living for the population has skyrocketed, and prices have skyrocketed unbelievably. By 2009, Zimbabwe had experienced a hyperinflation rarely seen in world history, with inflation rates reaching astronomical levels, with 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollars worth only half a loaf of bread. This extreme economic situation has led to extreme hardship for the population, with many people living below the poverty line and increased social instability.
The economic crisis and the end of the regime
With Zimbabwe mired in unprecedented economic woes, Mugabe and his government have taken a number of steps to try to turn the tide. This includes implementing a range of economic policies, adjusting the money supply, and even revaluing the Zimbabwean currency. However, these efforts proved to be futile due to the isolation of the international community, internal mismanagement and deep-seated structural problems of the economy. High inflation continues to climb, leading to a severe currency depreciation and soaring prices, a sharp rise in the cost of living for ordinary people, and a rise in social discontent.
Mugabe has tried to maintain stability politically, and in 2013, despite being 90 years old, he ran in the presidential election and won, partly demonstrating that he still has support among some people. But the victory could not hide widespread criticism of his way of rule, both at home and abroad. His re-election has attracted international attention and discussion, with many questioning the integrity of the elections and being pessimistic about Zimbabwe's future.
Mugabe's government's inability to respond to the economic crisis, coupled with the crackdown on political dissent, has raised serious concerns about the human rights situation at home and abroad. Over time, the image of a national hero that Mugabe once built up in the early years of independence faded and was replaced by the label of a dictator.
In 2017, the long-accumulated political discontent and economic crisis finally erupted. In the name of protecting the country's stability, the military staged a coup d'état, and Mugabe was placed under house arrest and eventually forced to announce his resignation, ending his four-decade rule. The coup d'état marked a major turning point in Zimbabwe's political history, and although it did not immediately address the economic and social problems facing the country, it turned a new page in Zimbabwe's history.
Mugabe's ouster is a profound event for Zimbabwe and for the whole of Africa. Under his leadership, Zimbabwe has gone through the whole process from heroic independence struggle to national governance. Once known as the "bread basket of Africa", Zimbabwe has great potential for agricultural development, but due to long-term economic mismanagement and political conflicts, the country eventually fell into a deep economic and social crisis. #MCN首发激励计划#
Mugabe: Africa's longest-serving president