From 50 Years Ago: Consolidators and Visionaries

Consolidators and Visionaries

It is axiomatic that revolutions, particularly those that have involved a long, bitter and bloody struggle, mould two types of leaders, the visionaries and the consolidators. In the first flush of revolutionary triumph, the visionaries with their great ideas and promises of a brave new world are the men of the hour. When expectations are not fulfilled and it becomes necessary to fructify power, the consolidators make their appearance. Five years ago, Ilouari Boumedienne, who was then the commander of the Algerian Army, took over power in a bloodless coup d’etat. He and the men who backed him set out to establish firm control over a country which had developed a taste for regional and autonomous self-help, causing much economic chaos and political confusion..