Alphonse Massamba-Débat (February 11, 1921 – March 25, 1977) was a
political figure of the
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
who led the country from 1963 until 1968 in a one-party system.
Biography
Early life
He was born in the small village of Nkolo,
Boko District,
French Equatorial Africa, in 1921,
into a
Kongo family. He attended missionary school and primary schooling at the Boko Regional School. He then received training as a teacher at the Edouard Renard school in Brazzaville.
By the age of 13, he was a teacher and went to teach in
Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
from 1945 to 1948.
By 1940, he had joined the anti-colonialist
Chadian Progressive Party and
served as the general secretary of the
Association for the Development of Chad in 1945.
In 1947, he moved back to Congo and was principal of a school in
Mossendjo from 1948 to 1953, then in
Mindouli from 1953 to 1956. He was also the headmaster of Bakongo Secular School in
Brazzaville in 1957
and joined the
Congolese Progressive Party (PPC).
Career
By 1957, Massamba-Débat had joined
Fulbert Youlou's Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests party (UDDIA), stopped teaching and became the Minister of Education and two years later he was elected to national assembly. In 1959, he was made
president of the assembly and remained in power, later serving as minister of state and of planning but he began to criticize the administration of Youlou, Congo's first
president, whom many perceived to be overly reliant on France.
When President Fulbert Youlou was deposed in a
coup d'état on August 15, 1963, the presidency was suspended. Massamba-Débat, Chairman of the National Council of the Revolution, was declared
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
the next day, and the National Council of the Revolution was declared the only legal
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in the country. Massamba-Débat
was elected President on December 19, 1963, with
Pascal Lissouba standing in as the new Prime Minister.
Congo under Massamba-Débat (1963–1968)
The government of Massamba-Débat attempted to undertake a political economic strategy of "
scientific socialism." By July 1964 Massamba-Débat's government had declared one-party rule under the
National Movement of the Revolution and a campaign of
nationalizations began. Internationally Massamba-Débat aligned his country with the
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and Communist
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and he allowed nominally communist guerrillas to base themselves on Congolese territory.
Under Massamba-Debat the Congo was ideologically aligned more with countries of a socialist nature, especially
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, while moving away from capitalist countries.
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
went to meet Massamba-Débat in January 1965 and diplomatic relations were severed with the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Relations were strained with the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose political path was increasingly influenced by
Mobutist ambitions. Consequently, the
Tshombe government expelled the citizens of Congo-Brazzaville who lived in the former
Belgian Congo.
On the economic and social level, Massamba-Débat led a healthy and rigorous management. Under his presidency, the Congo began to
industrialize and the standard of living of the Congolese improved. Some large production units with large workforces were built: the textile factory of Kinsoundi, the palm groves of Etoumbi, the match factory of
Bétou, the shipyards of Yoro, etc. Health centers were created as well as school groups (colleges and elementary school). The country's school enrollment rate became the highest in Black Africa. At the same time, Brazzaville became a center for left-wing exiles from all over Central Africa.
Massamba-Débat also attempted to form popular
militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
units in 1966 with the help of the Cuban army.
For 10 days in June and July 1966, members of the military attempted to overthrow his government after he had attempted to place the military under a single command. In the
failed coup attempt, several hundred Cuban troops sheltered members of Massamba-Débat's government and he was eventually able to return to power after giving in to some of the coup leaders demands.
On August 5, 1968, the new National Council of the Revolution (CNR) was formed, along with a new government, with 40 members including Massamba-Débat.
In July 1968, he arrested Captain Ngouabi, dissolved the National Assembly and the Political Bureau of the
MNR and suspended the 1963 Constitution. This resulted in a confrontation between supporters of the Civil Defense and part of the army. He was then forced to amnesty all political prisoners and deal with his opponents.
Following the coup tensions remained between Massamba-Débat's administration and the military and on
September 4, 1968 Massamba-Débat's government was overthrown by
Marien Ngouabi, the chairman of the same party that had brought Massamba-Débat to power.
Life under house arrest
Following the bloodless coup of 1968 Massamba-Débat was forced to leave politics and Massamba-Débat returned to his home town. A few hours after Ngouabi's assassination Massamba-Débat was placed under arrest.
When Ngouabi was murdered in 1977, many people were arrested and tried for plotting the assassination, including Massamba-Débat. Massamba-Débat was executed on the night of March 25, 1977, by firing squad.
See also
*
Cold War§Competition in the Third World
*
People's Republic of the Congo
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massamba-Debat, Alphonse
1921 births
1977 deaths
Presidents of the Republic of the Congo
Prime ministers of the Republic of the Congo
Presidents of the National Assembly (Republic of the Congo)
Leaders who took power by coup
Leaders ousted by a coup
Executed presidents
Executed Republic of the Congo people
People executed for treason against the Republic of the Congo
20th-century executions for treason
Congolese Progressive Party politicians
20th-century executions by the Republic of the Congo
People of French Equatorial Africa
Heads of government who were later imprisoned
20th-century Republic of the Congo politicians