Idi Amin

His rise to power, political career and legacy

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Chelsea Skone

Reira Vang

Sam Gockel

Idi Amin

Background of Idi Amin

• Born around 1925 in Uganda• He never wrote an autobiography and never

authorized a biography to be written• For this reason, not much is know about

Amin’s early life and childhood• According to a professor Amin knew, Amin

was the son of a man named Nyabire and a woman named Assa Aatte

Background Continued

• Nyabire was a Roman Catholic who converted to Islam and abandoned Amin and Assa

• Assa was a self proclaimed witch doctor

• She sent him to an Islamic school in 1941 much to his protest

• He left the Islamic school sometime around 1945 and made his living doing odd jobs

Uganda

Background of Uganda

• In 500 BCE, the Bantu speaking tribe entered an area of land that is now called Uganda

• These people relied on hunting and gathering but introduced new political ideas

• The first formal government was called the Empire of Kitara

• In the 1800s, much of southeastern Africa was under imperial British rule

Background of Uganda Continued

• The area was placed under control of the “East Africa Company” in 1890

• The “East Africa Company” was responsible for developing the region

• This action attracted many Arab and European entrepreneurs

• The area was officially called Uganda in 1914

Background Continued• Uganda gained independence from

Britain in 1962

• Milton Obote was named Prime Minister

• Uganda was originally supposed to have a president and vice president, but Obote overthrew them killing any chances of democracy

Milton Obote

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Background - Amin’s Rise to power

• 1946 - Amin enlisted in the King African’s Rifles of the British Colonial Army

• 1947 - 1965, he slowly worked his way up the ranks until 1965, when he reached the highest position ever reached by a black man in the British Colonial Army: Colonel

• During his military career Amin was involved with athletics

• He was an avid rugby player and was the Uganda light heavyweight boxing champion for nine years starting 1951

Idi Amin, Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion, 1951-1960

Look how huge he is, dang, no wonder he was the boxing champion for so long

Wanted: Amin and Obote• In 1966, Prime Minister Milton Obote and Idi Amin

were involved in the smuggling of gold and ivory• A rival of Amin’s threatens to uncover their

operations, but Amin has him killed• Relations between Amin and Obote deteriorate

beyond repair• Amin discovered that Obote was going to arrest him

under charges of stealing money from the government

• In response to this, Amin successfully carried out a coup d'état while Obote was out of the country

Amin as Head of State

• Amin promptly accused Obote’s regime of corruption and economic mismanagement

• The British welcomed the coup and the Ugandans accepted it, at first anyway

• In 1977, Amin Changed his name to: “His Excellency, President for, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular."

Establishment of the Single Party State

• Promised free elections and declared that Obote could come home to contest them if he wanted to

• Brought back body of King Freddie back to Uganda for burial

• Popularity increased when he got rid of Obote’s secret police, freed political prisoners and promised to give power back to the people.

• Maintain power: When he declared himself president, Amin dissolved the parliament and amended the constitution to give him absolute power.

• Maintain power: appointed well-qualified administrators to most of the positions in his first cabinet, but paid no attention to their advice. To control army, he relied on the support of soldiers he had recruited from northwest Uganda...

How Amin Maintained Power• Purged Asians and foreigners out of Uganda, which solidified his

black African base (solid support, an army of 12,000)• Was on extremely good relations with such superpowers as Britain,

Israel, and Russia (all whom gave Amin military and monetary support)

• Disposed of opposition-used terror tactics and Gestapo-like police forces: the Public Safety Unit [PSU] (duty was to track ordinary criminals, prisoners and detainees were beaten, robbed, extorted, and killed), the army (who would break into people's houses and loot them, and would also beat civilians depending on their mood), and the State Research Bureau [SRB] (were basically given a "carte blanche" by Amin to do whatever they wanted, could kill anyone at will without any reason or probable cause whatsoever)

Form of Government and Ideology:

• Military rule; Amin placed military tribunals above the system of civil law, appointed soldiers to top government posts and parasitical agencies, and informed the newly inducted civilian cabinet ministers that they would be subject to military discipline.

• Praised Hitler and promised to build memorial to Nazi leader in Kampala. • Amin’s rule was one of repression and terror. The British High Commission

in Kamala noted that Amin had “concentrated all the powers of parliament and of the former President in his hands…it is now beginning to look as if Uganda may merely have exchanged one form of authoritarian government for another.”

• The brief from the Foreign Office read: “General Amin has abandoned Obote’s radical plan—African policies for a more moderate and pro-Western policy,” the government was “not ideal, but by African standards as good as could be hoped for.”

Treatment of Opposition• Amin used violence and terror to eliminate his real and imaginary

enemies.• Dehumanizing human—human life became less important than

wealth.• Ugandans who criticized Amin or whom the government considered

potentially dangerous to the regime were seized by roving squads of soldiers and summarily killed (bodies often found dismembered and horribly mutilated).

• People were killed for criminal motives or simply at will. Bodies were dumped into the Nile River; on at least one occasion the bodies actually clogged the Owen Falls Hydro-Electric Dam in Jinja.

• International Commission of Jurists estimated the death toll to be no fewer than 80,000—more likely around 300,000.

Rule of Single-Party States:Political, Economic, and Social Policies:

• Economic: Amin ignored the people’s need for agricultural technicians to make his economy work, in favor of military technicians from the Communist bloc, to make his armed force work. (Nearly half of foreign exchange goes for military supplies or tax-free luxuries from Europe to pacify military.)

• Social: Amin said he welcomed tourists, but his bizarre and repeated bloodbath hardly encouraged them to come.

• Political: Expel all those who do not give him what he wants. i.e. After Amin’s demand for large increases in military assistance were rebuffed by Israel and Britain, he expelled all Israeli advisers in 1972 and turned to the Arab Republic of Libya whom gave him immediate support—became first black African leader to renounce ties with Jewish state of Israel.

• In his 8-year rule, Amin produced economic decline, social disintegration and massive human rights violations. `

• Uganda's economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including amply fertile land, regular rainfall, and mineral deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. Yet, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that has left Uganda among the world's poorest and least-developed countries

Role of Education, the Arts, Media, and Propaganda:

• Media: Winston Churchill Visited Uganda in 1907 and called it “the pearl of Africa”

• Amin was initially welcomed both within Uganda and by the international community. In an internal memo, the British Foreign Office described him as “a splendid type and a good football player.”

Status of Women, Treatment of Women, and Religious Groups:

• Selective genocide• Members of Acholi and Langi (who formed Obote’s support base)

were particularly targeted.• Apparently God told him in a dream to expel Uganda’s Indian and

Pakistani population (and eventually Asians and everyone else).• Amin possessed a kind of animal magnetism; a quality he used

with sadistic skill in his dealings with people he wished to dominate. In his relations with women, it brought him a succession of mistresses, longer-serving concubines, and six wives.

• He divorced his first three wives at various times. The fourth, Kay, disappeared and her body was found butchered into chunks and the reassembled.

Caution

• Caution, the next slide contains a graphic image, please continue with vigilance

An Artist’s Depiction of Amin’s Private Freezer

Rest your hands while reading some quotes

• “When you are walking and any creature making a step on the dry grass behind you might be an Amin man. Whenever you hear a car speeding down the street, you think it might suddenly come to a stop—for you. I finally fled, not because I was in trouble or because of anything I did, but out of sheer fear. People disappear. When they disappear, it means they are dead. The second day Amin was in power, people started dying. He knows he is a man of death, and it satisfies him. ‘I am power,’ I have heard him say. ‘I have power.’ He is sane, very sane in some respects. The important thing to him is to survive—and thus to eliminate all opposition. To kill a wife, a son—it doesn’t concern him.” ---former Amin aide who escaped to Kenya

• “He still knows almost everything that happens within the country. He knows about the most important killings. Even when he is sitting in his office and smiles to reassure someone he has ordered picked up; one of his own men on a chair in the corner already knows that the prearranged signals have been given to finish him off.”

• “It is not enough to dismiss Amin as a buffoon or murderer…He is an African reality. He has realized an African dream. The creation of a truly black state. He has called into being a new crude, but vigorous, middle class of technicians and businessmen.”

• Another official added: ''Idi Amin is a splendid type and a good (rugby) player…but…virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter.''

Regional and Global Impact:• Schmoozed with which ever country would help him stay

in power • Extremely erratic in behavior (turned countries off from

depending on Uganda, doubted stability of Amin's regime)• Britain was the first country to officially recognize Amin's

government as legitimate• By July of 1971, Amin was promised monetary and

military aid by both Britain and Israel• Extremely strong, cordial relationships with British and

Israeli diplomats• Friendly relations with other African leaders (many of

them dictators), especially Muammar Gadhafi from Libya

Impact continued

• Adored by the British press, even called the "gentle giant"

• At the time of the coup, there was pre-existing soviet presence in Uganda, but Russian military experts were expelled from the country after Amin took power

• February 1972: Amin promised military assistance from Gadhafi and Libya

• Britain dispatched a training team to help train Amin's soldiers as they saw Russian influence within the army

Impact continued

• Amin claims that he spoke to god, who told him that Asians were the root of all Ugandan economic woes (TRUTH: Asians made up the backbone of Ugandan economy)

• September 1972: accused Asians of serving British economic interests, purged from the country

• All British diplomats were forced to leave, and Britain cut all aid to Uganda because of this

• In response to Britain pulling its aid to Uganda, Amin nationalizes 41 foreign-owned firms, 15 of which were British

Impact continued• 1973: Libya breaks ties with Israel, as a result Amin

expels all Israelis officials from Uganda and replaces them with Russian officials

• Began to turn to the USSR as a military ally, Amin was supplied with many Soviet-made weapons

• 1975: Amin breaks ties with Russia at an OAU (Organization of African Unity) summit in Kampala

• Attempted to play "big brother" role in Africa• Extremely outspoken towards/with other public figures

(making lewd comments regarding the queen of England, etc.)

• Rarely killed foreigners, usually only killed Ugandans

Important• July 1976: Amin becomes personally involved in hostage

negotiations when an Israeli plane is hijacked by pro-Palestinian guerillas

• Amin is deeply humiliated when Israeli commandos stage a successful raid and free the hostages, exposing the weakness of Amin's army

• Amin is accused by the prime minister of Israel of "collaborating with the terrorists while using deceit and false pretenses" and reinforcing the hijackers

• An extremely angry Amin expels all foreigners and begins killing the opposition

• By July 1976, Britain COMPLETELY breaks off all relations with Uganda and Amin

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American-Ugandan Relations

• Carter accused Amin of "blackmailing" foreign powers into taking him seriously

• 1977: US completely cuts all aid to Uganda

• Carter claims that Amin's policies have "disgusted the entire world"

Regional Impact

• Fairly cordial with other African leaders, especially Muammar Gadhafi in Libya by the late 1970's, majority of African leaders embarrassed by the behavior and actions of Amin, but most were too afraid to physically oppose him

• Uganda has long-standing conflict with Tanzania (Amin called Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere a "coward", an "old woman", and a "prostitute")

• Regime came to an end when Amin provoked military response by invading Tanzania in 1978 (invasion of Kagera in Tanzania)

• Tanzania's people defense force and Ugandan exiles (like Obote) launched a counter attack, eventually defeating Amin's forces on April 11, 1979

Economic Impact• Uganda's economy began falling apart because they could not

properly fill the job positions that the Asian Ugandans had previously filled

• Tourists "welcome" in Uganda (so said Amin), tourist industry dramatically decreased

• Foreign trade dramatically decreased under Amin's rule• Nearly half of all foreign exchange was going to military supplies

and other assets used to appease the Ugandan military (nearly 12,000 people)

• Uganda relied on foreign economic support (Libya) in order to keep up their extravagant military spending (Libya and Gadhafi bought Amin 8 Israeli planes in 1972) 

Why Would People Embrace Such a Leader?

• Gained power by staging a coup against another leader (Obote, who was forced into exile because of the event)

• Extremely charismatic and seemed to have Uganda's best interest in mind (nicknamed the "gentle giant" by British press and "big daddy" was very common, seen as a protector for African interests)

• Initially seen as a liberator-purging Asians from Uganda solidified his black, African, Ugandan base (Asians disliked, seen as "bloodsuckers")

• Once Uganda's economy started to dissolve and slaughter campaigns were launched ("selective genocide"), people began to realize that Uganda was in trouble-he eventually built up enough opposition to help the Tanzanian army overthrow him

Intermission

• Enjoy some pictures and photographs on the next couple of slides

Un-Fun Facts About Idi Amin Dada

• Was a polygamist and married at least six women in his lifetime, sources claim that he fathered 30-45 Children

• Amin, who was Muslim, was determined to exterminate Uganda's Christian population (the Muslims were outnumbered by 800,000 to 7 million Christians)

• Determined to "annihilate" two tribes: the Acholi and the Langi (who were largely Obote supporters and who were predominately Christian)

• Prisoners were often told their lives could be spared if they were to kill another prisoner (the surviving prisoner would later become the "other prisoner" who was killed), it was a never-ending cycle of deceit and murder

• Methods of killing were shooting, sledgehammering, running people over with tanks, bayonetted to death, blown up by grenades (that were thrown into rooms with prisoners in them)

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A Not So Fun Fact

• Amin Praised Hitler, claiming that "he was right to burn 6 million Jews" and building a monument for him in Kampala

Please Wait While The Video Loads

• We found this awful video that shows just how crazy and awful Amin was

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