In 1980, Zimbabwe became an independent nation after successfully breaking away from British rule. Robert Mugabe, previously a political prisoner fighting for black African rule in Zimbabwe, took over as the first prime minister of the newly freed nation. Although the first ten years of his rule were not free from controversy, Zimbabwe did make great gains across various social indicators to become one of the leading countries in sub-Saharan Africa. From 1980 to 1990 infant mortality dropped from 86% to 49%, 80% of the population was immunized, life expectancy increased from 56 to 64, and the country boasted an adult literacy rate of 67%, all figures that rivaled even the most developed nations. Zimbabwe seemed as if it was moving in the right direction socially, but its economy failed to keep up and political unrest began after a highly contested election in 1990.

Mugabe was reelected to office in 1990 amid criticisms that the election was rigged. Throughout the 1990's the government exerted more control over commerce, education, and land regulation. Many of the policies being implemented were seen as unfair, and even racist in regards to the white minority in Zimbabwe. As the health of civilians and the economy began to fail, protests became increasingly common. Citizens decreed that Robert Mugabe and the ZANU-PF political party had continually rigged voting and employed methods of intimidation to win the 1996 and 2002 elections. In 2008, Mugabe lost the general election to Morgan Tsvangarai. The results of the election led to an outbreak in violence, and Mugabe would not concede to defeat. Mugabe and Tsvangarai agreed to split the power of governance with the former serving as president and the latter as prime minister, this agreement has not worked and the two opposing factions have maintained a violent relationship with one another and against the civilians of Zimbabwe.

Even before the political strife, Zimbabwe's economy was in trouble. While Zimbabwe was making great social gains the economy did not keep pace, growing on average 2.5% per yeari. The economy was continually outgrown by the population, and as new workers entered the workforce, many of them found themselves without jobs. Agriculture was once a staple of the Zimbabwean economy, but severe droughts and mismanagement of farmland by the government hampered the strength of this segment. Government corruption and worker abuse was also widespread across the natural resource industry, especially the diamond trade. Mining has remained relatively strong, but like other African nations, most of these profits are going to the foreign corporations who own the mines.

Most recently, Zimbabwe had an inflation rate of 200 million percent, 94% unemployment, and 80% of wage earners below the poverty level. In April 2009 the Zimbabwean dollar was suspended in favor of doing trade in foreign currencies such as the US dollar or Euro. There is still a continued power struggle between the regimes of Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai; this has led hundreds of thousands of citizens to emigrate to neighboring countries each year - nearly 7,000 leave for South Africa alone each day. This mass exodus has further expedited the brain drain of Zimbabwe as well as the collapse of its economy. This phenomenon has made it even more prudent for actions to be taken to stabilize the social climate and the current population. Without attempting to create livable conditions for the remaining citizens, it is almost certain that Zimbabwe will not return to the glory days it experienced throughout the 1980's.