Liberation and Corruption
Why Freedom Movements Fail
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bristol University Press
Publishing:28th Oct '25
£19.99
This title is due to be published on 28th October, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Why are liberation and independence movements often betrayed when their leaders get into government? This question has haunted Peter Hain for decades.
A lifelong activist and politician, Hain has over 50 years’ experience of battling corruption, from his early days as a freedom fighter against apartheid to his time as a UK Labour MP, cabinet minister, and sitting member of the House of Lords. He offers a gripping exploration of why movements born from the ideals of justice and freedom often succumb to bad governance and corruption once in power. Combining rigorous analysis with well-sourced evidence, this book examines global examples ranging from Africa to Latin America, Russia, the Caribbean, China and India.
With the unique perspective of having navigated both the streets of protest and the corridors of power, Hain reflects on the challenges of staying true to the values of liberation struggles while confronting their disappointing outcomes. Thought-provoking and accessible, this book is an essential read for anyone engaged in the fight for a better world.
"As a student anti-apartheid campaigner long ago, I find this an uncomfortable but important book.." Jon Snow, broadcaster
“Peter Hain has always used his own freedom as a means of working for the liberation of others. Now he provides this well-researched, piercing exposure of how, why and where decadent corruption has betrayed emancipation.” Rt Hon. the Lord Kinnock
"Honest and credible about both the successes and the failings of liberation leaders" Mavuso Msimang Deputy President of ANC Veterans and former ANC Underground
Commander
"Compellingly tracks corruption prevalent in liberation governments back to their colonial origins" Tara O’Connor, Director Africa Risk Consulting
"Towering from an indefatigable fighter against apartheid and corruption." John Battersby, South African journalist
"Hain shows that we need to invert colonially-rooted stereotypes about ubiquitous global corruption. Reproducing centuries-old power relations and systems of forceful
extraction, the bulk of ill-gotten gains in Africa and elsewhere still flow almost inevitably to accounts in the global north." Prof Andre Odendaal, Historian & Vice Chancellor’s writer in residence, University of the Western Cape
ISBN: 9781447375876
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
272 pages