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| Discovering
Liberia - History |
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Settlement of freed slaves from the
US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians
were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71,
did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social,
and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and
the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel
DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and ushered in a decade
of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged civil war, in which DOE himself
was killed. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years
of intermittent fighting and prompted the resignation of former president
Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a
transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President
Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power. |
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