Tanzania: Civil-Military Relations and Political Stability

By some accounts, Tanzania is second from the bottom on the poverty scale in Africa, although this position is disputed by experts. Apart from the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar and a short-lived army mutiny in 1964, Tanzania has remained peaceful despite the poverty among its tribes. National events after 1995 indicate a high level of tolerance and peaceful democratic change in the country. This essay will briefly dwell on civil-military relations and relate it to the case of Tanzania. The evolution of civil-military relations in the country will be examined and an analysis of Tanzanian practice will be provided. The essay concludes with a summary. Mwalimu Nyerere was clearly the architect of stable civil-military relations in Tanzania. This stability survived him and was inherited by his successors in the multiparty system. Several changes were made after 1992, and the government clearly holds the key to communication with the armed forces. If a concordant relationship can be maintained, the prognosis is good.