In this new edition of Nkrumah and the Ghana Revolution, C. L. R. James tells the history of the socialist revolution led by Kwame Nkrumah, the first president and prime minister of Ghana. Although James wrote it in the immediate post-independence period around 1958, he did not publish it until nearly twenty years later, when he added a series of his own letters, speeches, and articles from the 1960s. Although Nkrumah led the revolution, James emphasizes that it was a popular mass movement fundamentally realized by the actions of everyday Ghanaians. Moreover, James shows that Ghana’s independence movement was an exceptional moment in global revolutionary history: it moved revolutionary activity to the African continent and employed new tactics not seen in previous revolutions. Featuring a new introduction by Leslie James, an unpublished draft of C. L. R. James's introduction to the 1977 edition, and correspondence, this definitive edition of Nkrumah and the Ghana Revolution offers a revised understanding of Africa’s shaping of freedom movements and insight into the possibilities for decolonial futures.

When in March, 1957, Ghana became the first African country in colonial Africa to achieve Independence, the event was enthusiastically welcomed by millions of Africans and liberal non-Africans. Many African people looked up to Ghana with hope, confidence and pride. These people hoped that the torch of freedom would be held aloft in their own countries also. That Ghana had among the highest per capita income in Africa and the best developed educational and health facilities were but some of the factors establishing Ghana's position of stature in Africa. The question then is, how it comes about that beginning with such historic political and economic achievements, the country deteriorated through a series of military coups that eventually led to the bloody revolution of June, 1979. Could the revolution have been avoided? What are the lessons that Ghana itself, and other African countries, can learn? The Ghanaian Revolution attempts, clearly and dispassionately, to answer these questions.

This book was published in the immediate aftermath of Jerry Rawlings' 1981 coup, and proclamation of the Ghana Revolution in January 1982. The author gives an account of the history of the socialist African revolution in Ghana from Nkrumah to Rawlings. He argued that Rawlings represented a continuity of the socialist African revolution, which drove Nkrumah and other revolutionary leaders to commit the resources and future of Ghana to overcome the imperial powers. He puts the case for the continuing need for a unified, self-reliant socialist state, and considers the high hopes for Rawlings' revolution and socialist ideology, with which he concurs, including his potential to inspire other African revolutions, provide the strong African leadership required for greater African economic independence, and an African presence in international relations. The book represents a historical view of Rawlings' role at a particular point in time.

Tells the story of two popular revolutions in Ghana, both of them led by the same man, Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, now Head of Ghana's government, the Provisional National Defence Council. The book includes interviews with many of the key players in the drama, including Rawlings himself.

The Trial of JJ Rawlings narrates the extraordinary circumstances under which a young military officer Flt Lt JJ Rawlings, later to become the longest serving Head of State of Ghana, shot into the limelight to change the course of Ghana's history and political development.The first edition of the book, originally published in 1986, completely sold out within a year, making this second edition very welcome in response to public request. This volume is a valuable contribution to our understanding of those ineluctable forces that have changed the contours of our society. Surely, the story of JJ, well told in this volume, cannot fail to grip and hold the reader's most concentrated attention. - Prof F.A. Botchwey, PhD