PAUL NUGENT Professor of Comparative African History and Director of the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK. He was formerly Chairman of the African Borderlands Research Network.

'This is an exceptional work, applying an expert analysis of sub-Saharan Africa and providing the reader with a comparative history of the continent since independence. It is clearly the best single-volume on Africa's modern history in existence.' - Ian Taylor, University of St Andrews, UK 'It is no small feat to tackle such a broadly defined project, and I believe Nugent is successful in covering a significant amount of material in ways that simultaneously connect the information and highlight specific case studies.' - Andrea Arrington, University of Arkansas, USA

• List of Maps and TablesAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsMap 1 Africa showing dates of independenceIntroduction: The Basis of ComparisonAfrican Independence: Poisoned Chalice or Cup of Plenty?A Profile of Africa at IndependenceThe Shape of Things to Come: Irredentism, Secessionism and the Pan-African IdealsModernity and Tradition, Power and Prestige: Monarchs, Chiefs and Politicians, 1956-74'Ism Schisms': African Socialism and Home-Grown Capitalism, 1960-85Khaki Fatigue: Military Rule in Africa, 1960-95Second Liberation: Guerrilla Warfare, Township, Revolt and the Search for a New Social OrderInvasion of the Acronyms: SAPs, AIDS and the NGO TakeoverDemocracy Rediscovered: Popular Protest, Elite Mobilisation and the Return of Multipartyism, 1990-2011Millennial Africa: The National Question RevisitedNotesBibliographyIndex.

PAUL NUGENT Professor of Comparative African History and Director of the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK. He was formerly Chairman of the African Borderlands Research Network.

'This is an exceptional work, applying an expert analysis of sub-Saharan Africa and providing the reader with a comparative history of the continent since independence. It is clearly the best single-volume on Africa's modern history in existence.' - Ian Taylor, University of St Andrews, UK 'It is no small feat to tackle such a broadly defined project, and I believe Nugent is successful in covering a significant amount of material in ways that simultaneously connect the information and highlight specific case studies.' - Andrea Arrington, University of Arkansas, USA

• List of Maps and TablesAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsMap 1 Africa showing dates of independenceIntroduction: The Basis of ComparisonAfrican Independence: Poisoned Chalice or Cup of Plenty?A Profile of Africa at IndependenceThe Shape of Things to Come: Irredentism, Secessionism and the Pan-African IdealsModernity and Tradition, Power and Prestige: Monarchs, Chiefs and Politicians, 1956-74'Ism Schisms': African Socialism and Home-Grown Capitalism, 1960-85Khaki Fatigue: Military Rule in Africa, 1960-95Second Liberation: Guerrilla Warfare, Township, Revolt and the Search for a New Social OrderInvasion of the Acronyms: SAPs, AIDS and the NGO TakeoverDemocracy Rediscovered: Popular Protest, Elite Mobilisation and the Return of Multipartyism, 1990-2011Millennial Africa: The National Question RevisitedNotesBibliographyIndex.

PAUL NUGENT Professor of Comparative African History and Director of the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK. He was formerly Chairman of the African Borderlands Research Network.

'This is an exceptional work, applying an expert analysis of sub-Saharan Africa and providing the reader with a comparative history of the continent since independence. It is clearly the best single-volume on Africa's modern history in existence.' - Ian Taylor, University of St Andrews, UK 'It is no small feat to tackle such a broadly defined project, and I believe Nugent is successful in covering a significant amount of material in ways that simultaneously connect the information and highlight specific case studies.' - Andrea Arrington, University of Arkansas, USA

• List of Maps and TablesAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsMap 1 Africa showing dates of independenceIntroduction: The Basis of ComparisonAfrican Independence: Poisoned Chalice or Cup of Plenty?A Profile of Africa at IndependenceThe Shape of Things to Come: Irredentism, Secessionism and the Pan-African IdealsModernity and Tradition, Power and Prestige: Monarchs, Chiefs and Politicians, 1956-74'Ism Schisms': African Socialism and Home-Grown Capitalism, 1960-85Khaki Fatigue: Military Rule in Africa, 1960-95Second Liberation: Guerrilla Warfare, Township, Revolt and the Search for a New Social OrderInvasion of the Acronyms: SAPs, AIDS and the NGO TakeoverDemocracy Rediscovered: Popular Protest, Elite Mobilisation and the Return of Multipartyism, 1990-2011Millennial Africa: The National Question RevisitedNotesBibliographyIndex.