Legum Colin, Zartman William. Africa in the 1980s: A Continent in Crisis

McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1979. — 268 p.The decade between 1970 and 1985 was one of "disillusionment", when African states failed to deliver greater economic benefits and with a few exceptions enforced non-democratic forms of government. Beginning in the late 1980s, Legum argues, Africa embarked on a new period of "realism" that recognized the importance of democratic governance and modest economic development programs which did not subordinate rural to urban economies. Finally, Legum asks whether contemporary Africa has entered a period of "renaissance", as South African president Thabo Mbeki claims. Legum's book is a lucid overview for those unfamiliar with the contours of post-independence African politics.