This paper looks at the career of Jerry Rawlings, the
military and
political leader who led the coup that ousted the military
junta in Ghana in 1979. It examines how at the time, he stepped aside to allow a civilian president, Hilla Limann, govern and how in December 1981, he deposed Limann, suspended the constitution, banned all
political parties and later introduced economic reforms in 1983 that helped revive the economy. It shows how Rawlings came to power as leader in 1982 and how the first government lasted until 1987 as the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC).