Liberia (Hardcover)

The early history of Liberia was promising. Under the auspices of white Americans, freed slaves had been offered a new home in the West African region during the early 19th century. In 1847, the settlers founded the continent's first independent republic - a full century before the rest of Africa began to shake off colonial rule. Although the new republic modeled itself on the United States - even named its cities after U.S. leaders - it has nevertheless endured sluggish development, class division, and a brutal civil war during the 1990s that resulted in 200,000 deaths. In their struggle for stability, the Liberian people have forged peace agreements between the warring political parties and established a new, freely elected government in 2006, becoming the first African country to elect a woman as president.