Zimbabwe's History

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Although the implementation of neoliberal policies is not always detrimental to a country, it particularly did not help Zimbabwe due to the fact that a corrupt president was leading its government. In general, corrupt behaviour can be seen as the abuse of authority, with the intention of extracting personal financial rewards at the expense of the public good (United Nations, 2004). President Robert Mugabe, the leader of ZANU-PF, has governed the country since 1987. Although Mugabe has been re-elected to presidency multiple times, the elections have reportedly been tainted by fraud and voter intimidation (Kabwato, 2008). The majority of Mugabe’s neoliberal policies are seen to have been beneficiary for the elite. The elite are seen as the natural beneficiaries of development projects, where the state allocates wealth legally, in ultimately creating a bourgeoisie from the political class (Bracking, 2009). There continues to be a recurring pattern of elite concentration of wealth through ‘development’ projects. Mugabe and his political party have attempted to justify these measures by norms of liberal governance. In essence, Mugabe’s neoliberal policies have been used selectively to better the performance of an illiberal government. The concentration of wealth in a particular class has simply furthered inequalities of wealth and power in Zimbabwe.
Despite Zimbabwe’s downfall, it is a false notion to say that the issues in this country are the handwork of one man. The reality is that the crisis in Zimbabwe is a crisis of the capitalist system (Hamilton & Ngcaba, 2008). If Mugabe is to blame for anything, it is of obediently adopting Western economic policies throughout the entire history of Zimbabwe’s independence. Although Mugabe’...

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...ally, Mugabe’s neoliberal policies have negatively impacted Zimbabwe and it’s citizens. The re-adjustment to public spending within the government has clearly affected socially important sectors like education and agriculture.
Conclusion
All in all, by examining President Mugabe’s neoliberal policies, it is evident that they have had negative impacts within the economy, the government and society. However, it is important to recognize Zimbabwe’s colonial history in order to better understand the issues in Mugabe’s policies. Seeing as Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF, were born out of a violent anti-colonial struggle, a lot of Mugabe’s actions reflect a nationalistic view. Although Mugabe may have adopted neoliberal policies with adequate intentions, by analyzing the country from a variety of sectors, it is clear that these policies have caused Zimbabwe’s downfall.

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