Idi Amin was a soldier first and foremost. He imposed a scheduled and militaristic way of life on his followers. His own military record paints the picture of his rise to power. During British colonization of Uganda Idi Amin began his endeavor into the military. It was in 1946 that Amin enlisted in the King’s African Rifle’s, KAR, the British army in colonized Africa. (Boddy-Evans)
Upon his entry he was placed as assistant cook, a far from glorious position. However he managed to rise through the ranks. He became a Corporal in 1948 and was stationed in Burma, Somalia, and Kenya. This was during the British situation in Kenya that was referred to as the Mau Mau revolt. The Mau Mau gunmen were a secret society of rebels which aimed to over …show more content…

This view of the “benevolent but tough god-fearing” president of Uganda did not last. Almost as soon as soon as the rifles from the military coup were silenced economic problems ensued. Amin’s lack of public interest led to a gross domestic product that was rising at an average of 4.6%. Also Amin’s decision to lower government shares in nationalized companies from 60% to 40%. (Boddy-Evans)
Most damaging to the economy was the expulsions of people from the country. It was intentionally done to ethnically cleanse the country. The problem is that the people that were driven form the country were its economic backbone. They were either merchants with British passports or any other Asians or foreigners. The rationale for this was that he was told to do so in a dream by god. In the end over 80,000 Indians, Pakistanis, and other Asian minorities were expelled from the country. They were given 90 days to pack and leave. They received no help from the country and left behind most of their accumulated fortune. This action had a ripple effect throughout the economy. Most of Uganda’s financial backers such as Britain and Israel were horrified by his actions and severed ties with the ‘Butcher of Africa.’ Leaving Uganda completely independent and set for financial failure. (Luganda)
After the downfall of the economy in Amin’s first years in office the country seemed bleak. The people of Uganda were struggling with their finances. Yet at the same