Patrice Lumumba

As was the case across Africa, the political mood in the Congo colony remained stable until the end of World War II, but in 1947, India achieved independence and triggered a domino effect that led to the rapid decolonization of Africa. The first sub-Saharan territory to win independence was Ghana, which was handed over in 1957, followed in quick succession by the French territories of Guinea, Cameroon, Senegal, Togo and Mali. As far as Belgium was concerned, the writing was on the wall. As civil unrest began to break out in the major cities, and as the countryside became increasingly less secure, the Belgian authorities began to sense the possibility of a civil war, and arrangements were made to quit the territory as quickly and cleanly as possible.

It was in the nature of Belgium's withdrawal from Africa that power was essentially handed over to the first in line to receive it. Very little of the careful preparation that characterized the British withdrawal from Africa was evident in Congo, in major part due to the fact that the Belgian system of administration allowed for no phased entry of Congolese employees into the executive level, so there was no one trained or experienced in running a government who was in a position to take over from the departing Belgians. The same, indeed, was true in the armed forces.

As it turned out, the first in line to take power was a tall, stern-featured ideologue by the name of Patrice Lumumba. Though he was still just 35, his life story was already one full of ideology, politics, and chaos, and things would only get more turbulent once he became the Congo's leader. Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister looks at one of the most important African leaders of the 20th century.