Idi Amin
His rise to power, political
career and legacy
Proudly Brought to you By
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
Background - Amin’s Rise to
power
• 1946 - Amin enlisted in the King African’s
Rifles of the British Colonial Army
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• 1947 - 1965, he slowly
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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
American-Ugandan Relations
• Carter accused Amin of "blackmailing"
foreign powers
into taking
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• 1977: USarecompletely
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 neverending 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)
A Not So Fun Fact
• Amin Praised Hitler, claiming that "he
was right to burn 6 million Jews" and
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Kampala
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• We found this awful video that shows
just how crazy and awful Amin was
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