This book examines the role of war in shaping the African state, society, and economy. Richard J. Reid helps students understand different patterns of military organization through Africa's history; the evolution of weaponry, tactics, and strategy; and the increasing prevalence of warfare and militarism in African political and economic systems. He traces shifts in the culture and practice of war from the first millennium into the era of the external slave trades, and then into the nineteenth century, when a military revolution unfolded across much of Africa. The repercussions of that revolution, as well as the impact of colonial rule, continue to this day. The frequency of coups d'états and civil war in Africa's recent past is interpreted in terms of the continent's deeper past.

A History of Modern Africa recounts the full breadth of historical events that have shaped the last two centuries of the African continent. * Stresses the diversity of Africa's rich variety of people, societies, cultures and religious beliefs * Provides a thought-provoking and illuminating journey through the slave trade and colonization to the rise of Islam, struggles for independence, and beyond * Puts the colonial era into proper perspective in relation to events that occurred before it and since * Wide-ranging in scope, it provides a framework for understanding such events as the genocidal horrors of Rwanda and the recent troubles in Zimbabwe and Kenya

Product Description: A comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the key themes and debates central to an understanding of the region. Examines the major issues in South Africa's history, including colonial conquest; the establishment of racism, segregation, and apartheid; resistance movements; and the eventual founding of democracy Provides a sharp, analytical overview of the new South Africa For this fourth edition, a completely rewritten final chapter brings the story up to the present Incorporates the findings of new research since 2000 Contains new and revised maps and an updated further reading sectio...read more

Blessed with fertile and well-watered soil, East Africa's kingdom of Buganda supported a relatively dense population and became a major regional power by the mid-nineteenth century. This complex and fascinating state has also long been in need of a thorough study that cuts through the image of autocracy and military might. Political Power in Pre-Colonial Buganda explores the material basis of Ganda political power, gives us a new understanding of what Ganda power meant in real terms, and relates the story of how the kingdom used the resources at its disposal to meet the challenges that confronted it. Reid further explains how these same challenges ultimately limited Buganda's dominance of the East African great lakes region. (view table of contents)