BOKASSA, JEAN-BÉDEL Jordan, Nicole. The Popular Front and Central Europe: The Dilemmas of French Impotence, 1918–1940. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Judt, Tony. The Burden of Responsibility: Blum, Aron, and the French Twentieth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. Newman, Michael. “Leon Blum, French Socialism, and European Unity, 1940–1950.” History Journal 24 (March 1981): 189–200. Parry, D. L. L. “Passion, Politics, and the French Third Republic.” History Journal 36 (March 1993): 217–223. Weisberg, Richard. “Leon Blum in Vichy France.” Partisan Review 63 (fall 1996): 553–571.
Bokassa, Jean-Bédel (1921–1996) emperor of the Central African Empire Jean-Bédel Bokassa was born in Bangui, Ubangi-Shari, on February 22, 1921, the son of a Mbaka chief. He belonged to a politically active family, and was related to Barthélemy Boganda, a prominent figure in Ubangi-Shari’s eventual independence. Orphaned at the age of six, Bokassa was raised in missionary schools until 1939, when he joined the French army. He fought with distinction in World War II and colonial ventures, retiring from the army in 1961 with a rank of captain. At that time the Central African Republic had recently achieved independence from France under the aegis of Bokassa’s cousin, DAVID DACKO. When Dacko asked him to help constitute a new national army, he obliged and was promoted to commander-in-chief in 1963. However, as the government became hopelessly mired in corruption, Dacko’s popularity declined, and Bokassa saw an opportunity for himself. On December 31, 1965, he engineered a bloodless coup, toppling the government and installing himself as president. Intent on consolidating power as quickly as possible, Bokassa also dissolved the national assembly and abrogated the constitution. Ironically, his succession was greeted favorably by the public and by the French government, both having high expectations for the new leader. In power, Bokassa’s leadership proved uneven, unpredictable, and bloodthirsty. He brooked absolutely no opposition to his rule. Numerous enemies, real or imagined, were summarily arrested and executed. Among his many victims was Colonel Alexandre Banza,
53
his second-in-command, whom Bokassa suspected of treachery and personally murdered himself. In 1972 the president decreed that thieves should be publicly mutilated as punishment; his soldiers killed several. Despite his heavy-handed rule, the government of CHARLES DE GAULLE cultivated close ties to the Central African Republic, for it was France’s only source of high-quality uranium for nuclear weapons. On the world stage, Bokassa portrayed himself as a whimsical buffoon, much given to humorous antics and lavish costumes. He struck up cordial relations with two other notorious tyrants, IDI AMIN of Uganda and FRANCISCO MACÍAS NGUEMA of Equatorial Guinea. Despite his repressive reputation, the new administration of VALÉRY GISCARD D’ESTAING continued the pattern of friendly and close relations. In 1971 the increasingly megalomaniac Bokassa declared himself president for life and field marshal. In 1977 he institutionalized his absurdist tendencies by having the assembly adopt a new constitution declaring the tiny, impoverished Central African Republic an empire. Bokassa then arranged a lavish coronation for himself as its self-styled “emperor.” The ceremony, consciously patterned after that of Emperor Napoleon I, whom Bokassa closely identified with, reputedly cost the nation $30 million. His diamond-studded crown alone was valued at $5 million. However, by 1979, many citizens were antagonized with Bokassa’s inherent cruelty, corruption, and self-serving policies. At one point, when a crowd of schoolchildren protested buying uniforms from a factory owned by one of Bokassa’s wives, they were fired on by soldiers. Bokassa himself was allegedly on hand and committed atrocities himself. Not surprisingly, several attempts were made to depose this despot, but Bokassa survived. He rounded up numerous conspirators, including his own son-in-law, and executed them all. At this juncture the United States and other donor nations began phasing out foreign aid to the quixotic dictatorship. By now Bokassa’s erratic behavior was simply too embarrassing for France to endure, and on September 20, 1979, French troops took over the country while he was on a state visit to Libya. They then reinstalled Dacko as president after a hiatus of 14 years. Bokassa, meanwhile, withdrew to the Côte d’Ivoire and then to France where he maintained a lavish chateau. Then, in November 1986, he suddenly flew into Bangui expecting to be greeted as a liberator. However, the former