When Things Fell ApartIn the later decades of the 20th century, Africa plunged into political chaos. States failed, governments became predators, and citizens took up arms. In When Things Fell Apart, Robert H. Bates advances an explanation of state failure in Africa. In so doing, he not only plumbs the depths of the continent's late century tragedy, but also the logic of political order and the foundations of the state. This book covers a wide range of territory by drawing