Part 5/14:
Liberia’s political system was originally modeled on the U.S., complete with a constitution that enshrined rights and democratic principles. Yet, in practice, the ruling American Liberian elite monopolized power for over a century, effectively creating a one-party state under the emblematic True Whig Party. Elections were rarely free or fair; political opposition was suppressed through harassment, censorship, and violence.
Throughout this period, Liberia faced external criticism, especially regarding labor practices. In 1930, reports from the League of Nations revealed forced labor and worker abuses, notably at the Firestone rubber plantations—highlighting the country’s complicity in slavery-like conditions, despite the official abolition of slavery.