--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everywhere that the struggle for national…" description: "\"Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d'etat that overthrew their lea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/ahmed-ben-bella-20385_authority_everywhere-that-the-struggle-for-nationa_1596442.jpg" --- # Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has… ![“Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d'etat that overthrew their leaders. That is the result time and time again.” quote by Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/ahmed-ben-bella-20385_authority_everywhere-that-the-struggle-for-nationa_1596442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/ahmed-ben-bella-20385_authority_everywhere-that-the-struggle-for-nationa_1596442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/ahmed-ben-bella-20385_authority_everywhere-that-the-struggle-for-nationa_1596442.jpg) > “Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d'etat that overthrew their leaders. That is the result time and time again.” [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a people win independence, the former ruling elite often stage coups to retain power, showing a pattern of post‑colonial instability. **In simple terms:** Freedom can lead to power struggles and coups. Key Takeaway Beware of power vacuums after liberation. Themes politics power colonialism instability Mood cautious analytical Type historical political critical When to use this quote - newly independent nations - post‑colonial transitions - military governance - democratic reforms Key Concepts authoritarianism revolution statebuilding Questions to Reflect On - How can new states build resilient institutions? - What safeguards stop military overreach? A Different Perspective Coups may be prevented by strong institutions and inclusive governance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Coups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coups/) [Coups Etat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coups-etat-1037171/) [Etat Overthrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/etat-overthrew-6061087/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Triumphed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-triumphed-1603435/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military Coups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-coups-1037170/) [Overthrew Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overthrew-leaders-6061086/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [In two years, there were 22 military coups d'etat, essentially in Africa and the third world. The coup d'etat of Algiers, in 1965, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/in-two-years-there-were-22-military-coups-d-etat-essentially-in/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) > [I feel sure that coups d'état would go much better if there were seats, boxes, and stalls so that one could see what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/i-feel-sure-that-coups-d-tat-would-go-much-better-if-there-were-seats-2/) [Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/) > [Thirty-two coups d'etat are enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-bertrand-aristide/thirty-two-coups-d-etat-are-enough/) [Jean-Bertrand Aristide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-bertrand-aristide/) > [Governments produced by the most banal of electoral victories, like those produced by the crudest of coups d'état, will always feel obliged to dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/governments-produced-by-the-most-banal-of-electoral-victories-like/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Miracles are God's coups d'etat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/miracles-are-god-s-coups-d-etat/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [Fiji had experienced the ordeal of two military coups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamisese-mara/fiji-had-experienced-the-ordeal-of-two-military-coups/) [Kamisese Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamisese-mara/) > [For all its pro-democracy rhetoric, the West rolled over to military coups in Egypt and Thailand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-raab/for-all-its-pro-democracy-rhetoric-the-west-rolled-over-to-military/) [Dominic Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-raab/) > [No principle, that is possible to be named, can be more self-evidently false than this; or more self-evidently fatal to all political freedom. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/no-principle-that-is-possible-to-be-named-can-be-more-self-evidently/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Most of wars or military coups or invasions are done in the name of democracy against democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/most-of-wars-or-military-coups-or-invasions-are-done-in-the-name-of/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Pakistan's key leaders have succumbed to the assassin's bullet or bomb or the hangman's noose, and the country has seen four military coups since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/pakistan-s-key-leaders-have-succumbed-to-the-assassin-s-bullet-or/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Before the military coup in Chile, we had the idea that military coups happen in Banana Republics, somewhere in Central America. 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The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's Julius Caesar or Napoleon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/all-democracies-turn-into-dictatorships-but-not-by-coup-the-people/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) ## More by Ahmed Ben Bella > [It's with them that we have constituted a liberation front and brought our logistic support to armies to help their countries come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/it-s-with-them-that-we-have-constituted-a-liberation-front-and/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) > [I think that they participated in something that was not very proper and was very pitiful, not only for the Algerian people, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/i-think-that-they-participated-in-something-that-was-not-very-proper/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) > [I spent 24 and a half years in prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/i-spent-24-and-a-half-years-in-prison/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) > [I'm optimistic because I'm pragmatic: Neither of the two sides, the military government nor the Islamic front, is capable of winning. 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