Robert Mugabe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 February 1924 Kutama, Southern Rhodesia |
| Died | 6 September 2019 (aged 95) Singapore |
| Nationality | Shona |
| Political orientation | Anti-imperialism Pan-Africanism Marxism |
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Prime Minister and later President of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2017. Mugabe fought against British colonialism and imperialism and introduced massive land reform programmes which took property out of the hands of rich white settler colonists and put it into the hands of poor black subsistence farmers.[1] He also successfully expanded access to healthcare and education; the number of secondary schools increased from 177 in 1980 to 1,548 in 2000.[2] The adult literacy rate rose from 62% to 82% (one of the highest in Africa), and child immunization was raised from 25% to 92%.
Although Zimbabwe never fully transitioned to a socialist mode of production, Mugabe identified himself as a Marxist and a socialist, and Mugabe's party ZANU-PF, was committed to socialism.[3]
References
- ↑ Eugene Puryear (2013-08-08). "Robert Mugabe wins in Zimbabwe presidential election" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2019-07-14. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ↑ Blair, David (2002). Degrees in Violence: Robert Mugabe and the Struggle for Power in Zimbabwe. London and New York: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-5974-9.
- ↑ Meredith, Martin (2002). Our Votes, Our Guns: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe. New York: Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-186-5.