Building a Peaceful Nation: Julius Nyerere and the Establishment of Sovereignty in Tanzania, 1960-1964: 63 (Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora) - Hardcover

Bjerk's chapters on ujamaa ideology and villagization will be essential reading for historians of Tanzania. . . . Bjerk has clarified the stakes in debate about Nyerere and the ujamaa period. His study will leave historians well poised for the challenge of fully incorporating into their stories critics as well as proponents of ujamaa. JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY

Bjerk offers detailed insight into the critical first years of Tanganyika as a sovereign nation and the personalities and events that gave rise to the United Republic of Tanzania. . . . a welcome addition to the burgeoning historiography of Nyerere and Tanzania in recent years. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AFRICAN STUDIES

A fascinating read for anyone interested in understanding either the formation of Tanzania or the man who I would argue is modern Africa's most exceptional, idealistic, intelligent and, as this book shows, at times quite coolly ruthless, leader: Julius Nyerere. Jane Plastow, LUCAS BULLETIN

Bjerk's work will provide an invaluable resource for those engaged in the academic study of the immediate post-independence period in both Tanzania (Tanganyika) and Africa more broadly. TANZANIAN AFFAIRS

This very detailed book importantly links political events in Tanzania with what was happening regionally, continentally, and globally. Bjerk provides insight into one of Africa's most important political figures and the domestic and international political events of the time. Recommended. CHOICE

At a time when Afro-pessimism is so much in vogue it is good to have a book like this. Here the stress is on the competence of African leadership, on government's creativity in the face of international actors, and on the close link between the people and their leaders. There is much here to celebrate and admire. INT'L JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORICAL STUDIES

In the early 1960s, nationalist politicians established in Tanzania a stable government in the face of external threats and internal turmoil. Paul Bjerk's volume chronicles this history and examines the politics and policies of the nation's first president, Julius Nyerere. One of the great leaders of modern Africa, Nyerere unified the diverse people who became citizens of the new nation and negotiated the tumultuous politics of the Cold War. In an era when many postcolonial countries succumbed to corrupt dictatorship or civil war, Nyerere sought principled government. Making difficult choices between democratic and autocratic rule, Nyerere creatively managed the destabilizing forces of decolonization.

With extensive archival research and interviews with scores of participants in this history, Bjerk reorients our understanding of the formative years of Tanzanian independence. This study provides a new paradigm for understanding the history of the postcolonial nations that became independent in a global postwar order defined by sovereignty.

Paul Bjerk is associate professor of history at Texas Tech University.