Siaka Stevens was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 until 1985. He ran the nation as a one-party dictatorship and kept many colonial British extractive institutions in place in order to enrich himself and his allies. His rule exemplifies the iron law of oligarchy, or the idea that new rulers often continue the same oppressive practices as their predecessors. His actions also set the stage for the country’s civil war in the 1990s.
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Siaka Stevens Character Timeline in Why Nations Fail
The timeline below shows where the character Siaka Stevens appears in Why Nations Fail. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12: The Vicious Circle
...British railway helped the south export chocolate, coffee, and diamonds. But when APC leader Siaka Stevens won power, he dismantled the railway to punish the SLPP. He simply cared more about...
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In fact, when Stevens eliminated the SLPP and created an absolutist one-party dictatorship, he simply followed the British model...
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...a monopoly over diamond mining and helped it recruit a private army. After independence, Siaka Stevens transferred this monopoly to the government. Similarly, when gold was discovered in Australia, elites wanted...
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...Sierra Leone’s independent government simply kept all the colonial era’s extractive institutions in place. While Stevens did decide to tear down the old British railroad, he only did so because he...
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Chapter 13: Why Nations Fail Today
...Robinson explain how a militia tried to overthrow Sierra Leone’s government in 1991. After Siaka Stevens left office, his replacement let the government collapse. The national radio tower fell down, for...
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...of collapse and civil war, the iron law of oligarchy can still hold—for instance, Siaka Stevens’s party won the election again in Sierra Leone in 2007.
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Chapter 15: Understanding Prosperity and Poverty
...Acemoglu and Robinson argue that no amount of aid money will make dictators like Siaka Stevens give up the extractive institutions that enrich them. Still, Acemoglu and Robinson don’t argue that...
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