Why Liberia’s Samuel Doe Staged a Bloody Coup in 1980

April 12th, 1980, stands as a significant turning point in Liberia's history, known as Africa's first republic. On this day, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe orchestrated a bold coup d'état in Monrovia, overthrowing President William R. Tolbert Jr.'s government and reshaping Liberia's trajectory forever.
This pivotal event not only destabilized Liberia politically but also reverberated across the region, ushering in a new era fraught with both hope and uncertainty. Some saw it as the inevitable removal of an entrenched 'oppressive regime', others as a 'retro- grade action'.
In this episode of African Biographics, we explore the circumstances that paved the way for this momentous occasion, uncovering a multifaceted landscape characterized by social upheaval, economic disparity, and political disillusionment. These factors together made Samuel Doe and his associates to seize power.
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Sources:
The Liberian Coup in Perspective, J. Gus Liebenow, Current History, Vol. 80, No. 464, AFRICA, 1981 (MARCH, 1981), pp. 101-105, 131-134 (9)
State of Africa After Independence, Martine Meredith
Africa, A modern history, Guy Arnold
Encyclopedia of African History, Kevin Shillington
adst.org/2015/11/surviving-th...
web.archive.org/web/200707121...
web.archive.org/web/200809281...
liberiapastandpresent.org/Sam...
bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/wp.tows...
history.state.gov/milestones/...
www.sahistory.org.za/place/li...
www.washingtonpost.com/archiv...
www.refworld.org/reference/co...
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Music:
Epidemic Sound
KZbin Studio

[@benouko844]

Thanks to you tube, I have a doctorate degree in liberia history from 1980 to date. The ups and downs during the two civil wars.

[@tyronejoshua1613]

This channel has taught me so much about Africa..I can never thank you enough 🙏🙏 Keep it up

[@AfricanBiographics]

Thank you

[@brianrunyon266]

Again, excellent work. You've helped this American gain an interest in African politics and leaders, whereas I was mainly interested in the political events in Eastern and Western Europe.

[@Hammerhead547]

The sad thing is that there's black power types in america who refuse to believe that any of this happened in liberia.

[@L-Ahrairah]

They're already in this comment section

[@aped]

@@L-Ahrairahdoes it make sense for illiterate, backward people to lead a country? It would have made sense to have the Africans gradually raise themselves up.

[@eddiethorne6461]

No it is just we are saying that we had nothing to do with it.Did Tolbert,Tubman or any of them know Martin Luther King,Malcom X or any other Black or Colored African American leaders or citizens.Malcolm X did visit Liberia an at least 11 other Africa countries in 1965 and 1965.Those Liberians of the American Colonization Society keep very little contract with the descendants of those that stayed over here in the USA.Samuel Doe`s government was very corrupt and he was forced out in a violent military coup.To me as a black American it is not so much about denial but it is about we had nothing to do with it.Also why have Liberia not progressed much since 1980 ?They had a chance to do like Paul Kagami has done in Rwanda.

[@Dethecoolest12]

I'm sincerely grateful for the Liberian historical content 👍👍🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷

[@Chungus581]

I can’t imagine crossing the entire Atlantic just to name another place Maryland after that godforsaken state

[@christopping5876]

Excellent video, as per usual. You are teaching a born African a lot about Africa! Thank you.

[@125israel]

So, former slaves never learned lessons from slavery and ended up getting the cold bargain of the stick?

[@SpikeRazzor]

The irony of your username 😂.

[@joshuafrimpong244]

Yes

[@aped]

Who really lost? Many of the settlers ended up in America, leaving the Africans, who clearly weren’t prepared to rule, fractious and poorer.

[@sulaak]

@@aped The black settlers brought nothing but misery to the indigenous black Africa; what outstanding achievement can you identify in their almost 150 years of presence in Liberia beyond light skin vs dark prejudice. Do you know that the Americo-Liberians sold indigenous blacks to the Portuguese in Sao Tome for forced labour in the sugar cane plantations

[@sulaak]

@@aped Many of the black settlers are doing what in America? They had a prosperous country and couldn't even hack it, so they had to run back to White Massa.

[@DarkSitesChannel]

Your still one of my favourite niche KZbin channels, African biographies and nothing else is fantastic.

[@randomchiko8975]

Great video as always Tatenda!

[@Xorkuss]

This and the Charles Taylor video are so amazing. Learning so much about African history thanks to you!

[@KhaoSoiBoi]

So good. Thank you as always.

[@MathewsLukundoSinyangwe-05]

Thank you for this insightful master piece

[@steveurick3044]

Brilliant work. Thank you and please continue to educate us about Mother Africa!

[@tomasarcher4761]

Brilliant video, as always. Love learning about African history, it's a subject that needs more study.

[@luigidicianni6462]

Thanks always more I learn of Africa history, thanks again

[@lomakevin]

I never knew Johnson Salif was in the chaos. You teach us new things every day. Thank you.

[@bryanbabusi4977]

Awesome and Amazing Documentary Very delicious documentary

[@alphagimba3315]

This old adage sinks deep,the more things change the more they remain the same

[@jamesoyet7868]

Thanks you African Biographics for focusing on the Continent. We want to know the secret behind President Yoweri museven of Uganda

[@vadermasktruth]

This was very well done and I learned a lot. I knew some of this, but my information was wrong in parts. I really dig this channel, so please keep up the awesome work! Cheers from a White dude in Detroit!

[@singularseeker]

Excellent...

[@c.c.lilford2916]

Great video dude! Your Liberia coverage is pretty excellent. Can you link the clips you use in the video? Not all of it, but specifically links to the full length docs you use clips of at 2:21, 5:08, and 19:11. I'm working on my own Liberia project.

[@West.African.Liberian-my-love]

My beloved beautiful Liberian people❤

[@nathanielsibanda4789]

Please do gukurahundi and zipra/matebeleland history we need to educate the world on the hidden massacre and marginalized groups of matebeleland

[@CARL_093]

this was feature in a nicolas cage movie thanks bro i learn more deeper on the liberia during those times

[@abbotantony4460]

good video, can you do an episode for Mamady Doumbouya

[@Garbeaux.]

Backstreet’s back! ALRIGHT!!!

[@katty63pk]

A reflection of Liberia’s past.

[@erichall465]

Two great presidents for sure

[@SpiritTemple]

Liberia is a huge player in Africa, cool to learn more about its history.

[@flomosubah8260]

This was the beginning of destructions ,life and properties so sad and evils

[@ethanmcconkey100]

What would it take to make “the more things change, the more they stay the same” no longer valid, in the healthiest and most responsible way possible?

[@flomosubah8260]

The first great president Reverend Dr William R Tolbert JR and second Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

[@ntackie82]

Like❤

[@longhairdontcare122]

God help them find stability.

[@alexlents4689]

A very unique story of internal tension. With virtually every other African colony, the colonizers were white, but with Liberia they were freed slaves from America. It’s interesting to see how a system of first and second class citizens still developed even though there were no racial differences between the classes.

[@user-uq1vz9sm3x]

Samuel K Doe was our leader who remove the second colonialism in Africa, particularly Liberia

[@Searchforuhuru]

Liberia was never colonized. Doe was an illiterate , buffoon.

[@princessc660]

Liberia hasn’t been the same ever since doe did that. You can’t win with violence look what happened after he did. He could have gotten natives power in another way

[@josh656]

Rather sent money there than Ukraine.

[@zombiewarking]

Liberians should have continued to bring in more African-Americans. There should have been never-ending immigration.

[@z.t.8950]

Doe said he was inspired by Ghana’s Rawlings, who had killed previous officials by firing squad.

[@z.t.8950]

Correction: the soldiers were very much involved in the massacre.

[@VOGVOG-es8tk]

the country got fuck up in Tubman regime

[@Ludraman_]

Former slaves who came to Liberia but oppressed the native Liberians reminds me of Jews taking refuge in Israel but oppressing Palestinians

[@oladimejiemma9636]

But Jews have always been native to Israel..

[@joshuafrimpong244]

​@@oladimejiemma9636🧢

[@SpikeRazzor]

​​@@oladimejiemma9636Not the ones in charge of Israel, they're thousands of years removed and are very much more European genetically 😂. Imagine me, a Caribbean showing up and claiming devine right to take away land away from my West African cousins who haven't gone anywhere. The arrogance that would take.

[@vadermasktruth]

@@SpikeRazzor You are speaking pure, unadulterated 100% truth!

[@nomahope3182]

Oppression and colonialism are human nature.

[@kutonmichael1125]

I just gift you 500 dollar, I appricate this videos

[@danieleverywhere132]

why you insist on using that Wazee digital inserts with their logo in the middle of video? it's extremely annoying

[@EricBryant-tg4ml]

The enemies want us to know that Samuel Doe is the one who killed Tolbert which is not true. The same enemies that killed Tolbert are the same enemies that killed Doe

[@z.t.8950]

You didn't have to put that mark on Tolbert's forehead for clicks. Disgusting.

[@DRKabantu]

Unfortunately, the historical facts here are from an eurocentric lens and not from an unbiased Liberian scholar. First, they are not referred to as "americo-Liberians". This is a term europeans gave them. They don't refer to themselves by that term, that's important. Second, they did not oppress, subjugate no one. Liberia was a separate nation away from other indigenous native "tribes". If you lived within the settlements that were established, then you were given rights and citizenship. If you lived outside of the settlements, you were not. Those tribes who were not later became part of Liberia through treaties, etc. There were many alliances between native tribes and Afrikan americans and also many natives worked within the government. That part is never told. Under the forced labor at firestone, the president at that time was a sierra leoneon named Charles DB King and the vice president was a native Grebo named Henry Tou Wesley. The coup in 1980 had nothing to do with ethnic tension. The u.s. government wanted Tolbert gone and they got a puppet dictator Samuel Doe to do it.

[@West.African.Liberian-my-love]

It's true. The were also bad native Liberian involved and in the the past they sold people into slavery😡

[@DRKabantu]

@@West.African.Liberian-my-love that's exactly true.

[@hopesoaplove2533]

Thank you!!!!!!!!

[@chrispine9788]

They oppressed locals just the way they were oppressed

[@ifecoAE]

They oppressed the natives. Stop lying

[@loujackk]

Lazy research

[@dakf660]

??? Please explain

[@PolarisOneFilms]

Exactly lazy research the native tribes except for the Crew tribe were knee deep into the slave trade as soon as we set foot in that area called the Pepper coast we had are malitia army destroying the slave baracoons and freeing the captives the native sold to slavers ,all Caribbean and diasporian Blacks were excepted as citizens especially from Barbados and are Jamaica n cousins in neighboring Sierra Leone and the people who they called Congo's who were freed off ships from the British Royal Navy and American ship squadron and the Americo Liberian merchant naval fleet.

[@loujackk]

​@@dakf660Samuel Doe and Baccus Matthews are just front men, the coup was initiated by the CIA. The Rice riots was meant to destabilize Monrovia (and they got the desired response). The US had to overthrow Tolbert just like all the other leaders in Africa. So why did Doe and his guys assassinate the president? Because they were told so. You can't just leave out The US connection to the coup and following wars. Also Its the same old white supremacist narrative about Liberia, reducing the "indigenous" people (who are not a monolith) to nothing, while giving a one sided exaggerated story of "americo" Liberian oppression. (Your literally playing a propaganda video) Although there was discrimination, The repatriation to Liberia could never have happened without the continued help of the "indigenous" people. Its a very narrow view of Liberian history like the rest of these "History of Liberia" videos

[@isawent5204]

It's a 21mins summary what did u expect? critics are just useless. U either provide a better alternative or leave the man's effort alone.

[@emwandosya]

Animal farm...