The Biafran War : the struggle for modern Nigeria /
Gould, Michael,
The Biafran War : the struggle for modern Nigeria / Michael Gould ; foreword by Frederick Forsyth. - New paperback edition. - xviii, 258 pages, [8] pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Historical background -- The path to war and its beginning -- The second part of the war : from mid-1968 to January 1970 -- Biafra's longevity -- Gowon and Ojukwu : an appraisal of the two leaders -- Conclusion.
International media coverage in the 1960s and early 1970s represented the Biafran War, in which the state of Biafra attempted to secede from the Nigerian Federation, as a grand humanitarian disaster, characterised by sustained conflict, starvation and genocide. Using interviews and newly-released archival material, Michael Gould questions this depiction, examining the role of foreign parties in the conflict and the impact of propaganda upon its international reception both during and after the war. Envisaged initially by both sides as a short conflict, the war confounded all expectations, stretching on for four years. It was a 'brother's war', one which divided families, and was characterised overwhelmingly by both sides' reluctance to enter into hostilities. This book seeks to answer some of the most fundamental questions surrounding the conflict, including how this avoidable conflict came about, why the war became so drawn-out and how the leadership of the opposing Generals Ojukwu, who led the Biafran revolt and Gowon, who was President of the Nigerian Federation, defined the conflict.
9781780764634 (pbk.)
Nigeria--History--Causes.--Civil War, 1967-1970
Nigeria--History--Civil War, 1967-1970.
Nigeria--History--Mass media and the war.--Civil War, 1967-1970
Nigeria, Eastern--History.
--Reading book
966.9052 / GOU
The Biafran War : the struggle for modern Nigeria / Michael Gould ; foreword by Frederick Forsyth. - New paperback edition. - xviii, 258 pages, [8] pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Historical background -- The path to war and its beginning -- The second part of the war : from mid-1968 to January 1970 -- Biafra's longevity -- Gowon and Ojukwu : an appraisal of the two leaders -- Conclusion.
International media coverage in the 1960s and early 1970s represented the Biafran War, in which the state of Biafra attempted to secede from the Nigerian Federation, as a grand humanitarian disaster, characterised by sustained conflict, starvation and genocide. Using interviews and newly-released archival material, Michael Gould questions this depiction, examining the role of foreign parties in the conflict and the impact of propaganda upon its international reception both during and after the war. Envisaged initially by both sides as a short conflict, the war confounded all expectations, stretching on for four years. It was a 'brother's war', one which divided families, and was characterised overwhelmingly by both sides' reluctance to enter into hostilities. This book seeks to answer some of the most fundamental questions surrounding the conflict, including how this avoidable conflict came about, why the war became so drawn-out and how the leadership of the opposing Generals Ojukwu, who led the Biafran revolt and Gowon, who was President of the Nigerian Federation, defined the conflict.
9781780764634 (pbk.)
Nigeria--History--Causes.--Civil War, 1967-1970
Nigeria--History--Civil War, 1967-1970.
Nigeria--History--Mass media and the war.--Civil War, 1967-1970
Nigeria, Eastern--History.
--Reading book
966.9052 / GOU