in Africa. Their main aim was not socialist revolution, but to be free of military aggression from South Africa and see independence with majority rule throughout the continent. Coming as it did on the heels of the end of the First Indochinese War, the Algerian conflict further emboldened national liberation forces throughout the colonial and semi-colonial world, a region of increasing importance to policymakers in Washington and . By midnight, British and French troops had secured the canal zone and sparked fury from the United States and the Soviet Union. [31], The South African Communist Party (SACP), operating under the direction of the Comintern, was a strong supporter of the African National Congress. The Soviet Union, too, played an important role in the development of African cinema, training some of the continents most celebrated filmmakers in Moscow, including Ousmene Sembene,Souleymane Cisse and Abderrahmane Sissako. South African white politicians routinely denounced the ANC as a devious communist plot to overthrow the government. President Kasa-Vubu used his command of the army to launch a coup d'tat, expelling the Soviet advisors and establishing a new government under his own control. But Africa was left, traumatised, to pick up the pieces and face the problems created by the corrupt dictatorships that were the Cold Wars lasting legacy. As Soviet and American patronage (and arms) spread across the continent, Nyerere warned that a second scramble for Africa by Russia and its satellites was under way. and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Warwick. ", Piero Gleijeses, "Cuba's first venture in Africa: Algeria, 19611965. [27] Suddenly, the Ethiopians launched a counter offensive with the help of newly arrived Soviet arms and a South Yemeni brigade. The struggle between superpowers The Cold War reached its peak in 1948-53. This civil war would soon grow to encompass . Both powers tended to suborn corruptible local strongmen with military backgrounds and authoritarian instincts. But could they deliver a golden age for their followers? The Soviets hailed Ethiopia for its supposed similar cultural and historical parallels to the USSR. The unity in the communist bloc was unraveling throughout the 1960s and 70s as a split occurred between China and the Soviet Union. The decolonization of Africa that took place in the 1950s and early 1960s opened new opportunities that then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was eager to exploit. * Somalia * ", Gebru Tareke, "The Ethiopia-Somalia war of 1977 revisited. The article is particularly useful in understanding the history of Communist parties and movements throughout Africa. MI5 monitored nationalist movements, and trembled whenever it believed these movements might be penetrated by Soviet agents. Picture Information. Nato also armed two colonial powers, France and Portugal, in their struggles against nationalist insurgents in Algeria, Angola and Mozambique. Fear of Communism haunted the white minority government of South Africa from the 1950's to the collapse of single party rule in Eastern Europe in 1989. The officer and non-commissioned officer corps of former colonial armies became a praetorian guard of newly independent states, and palace revolutions propelled to power such figures as army commander Idi Amin in Uganda in a 1971 west-backed coup, and Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, the Soviets choice in Ethiopia, who effectively took power in 1974. This award-winning book provides a useful framework for analyzing various forms of socialist ideologies and institutional choice in Africa from the 1960s to the 1980s. For full treatment, see international relations. Here we are one year after Russia's blood-drenched invasion of Ukraine, the country that has always been the leading tripwire for a global nuclear war in the post-Soviet era. Keller, Edmond J., and Donald Rothschild, eds. in the footsteps of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, too, hoped to fill that power vacuum, posing as the patron and armourer of colonial liberation movements. [24], The 1974 coup installed the Derg, a Communist military junta under General Mengistu Haile Mariam. Substantial and decisive support came from Fidel Castro as part of what he saw as Cubas mission to engage in the global conflict between privileged and underprivileged, humanity against imperialism. Also, socialism is not practiced exclusively in one type of political system. LGBTI Minorities and Queer Politics in Eastern and Souther Maasai and Maa-Speaking Peoples of East Africa, The, Modern African Literature in European Languages, Northeastern African States, c. 1000 BCE-1800 CE, Political Science and the Study of Africa, Postcolonial Sub-Saharan African Politics, Religion and Politics in Contemporary Africa, Social and Cultural Anthropology and the Study of Africa, States of the Zimbabwe Plateau and Zambezi Valley, Swahili City-States of the East African Coast. Please subscribe or login. The Soviets, on the other hand, were determined to maintain control of eastern Europe in order to safeguard against any possible renewed threat from Germany, and they were intent on spreading communism worldwide, largely for ideological reasons. Filmmaking both documentary and fiction in support of rebellious causes were emerging across the world, from Palestine to Latin America, and young members of guerrilla movements such as the PAIGCs Flora Gomes and Sana Na Nhada were sent to Cuba to learn the language and techniques of Third Cinema, the values of revolution and social justice of which echoed the early, utopian ideals of African anti-colonial struggles. The South African government's stand found support in the Portuguese colonial regimes of Angola and Mozambique, which hung on until 1975, and the white government of Ian Smith in Rhodesia (modern Zimbabwe), which only yielded to majority rule in 1980.All these regimes equated political opposition with a desire to overthrow capitalism and nationalise the private sector. Both tended to favour ambitious local military men who possessed hard power on the ground. [26], Moscows public embrace of Mengistu troubled Siad Barre's pro-Communist regime in Somalia. Though often absent from retellings of the Cold War, the interventions and alliances conceived in Southern Africa between the 1960s and 1980s, had a profound and sometimes devastating impact. At another level the anti-capitalist, socialist outlook at the heart of Starting then, the Cuban Operation Carlota, to support the MPLA, was to change the course of history in southern Africa. [23], Soviet foreign policy in Somalia and Ethiopia was based on the Horn of Africa's strategic location for international trade and shipping as well as its military importance. Empires had always proclaimed intended reciprocity. End of the World War II. The Cold War was solidified by 194748, when U.S. aid had brought certain Western countries under American influence and the Soviets had established openly communist regimes. Moscows propagandists portrayed Nasser as a champion of oppressed peoples in their worldwide struggle against imperialism and capitalism. US empathy for the colonized faced two constraints that were most significant when their struggle was violent: the colonial powers were Americas allies against the Soviet Union, and Washington insisted that independence movements be free of the Communist virus. Now they had to contemplate using violent means. In sub-Saharan Africa the colonial powers faced no major challenges until the late 1950s. By 1948 the Soviets had installed left-wing governments in the countries of eastern Europe that had been liberated by the Red Army. Fear of Communism. Japan. It meant a return to the Cold War. Underlying this common policy was the cynical maxim reputedly uttered by US president Franklin D Roosevelt about Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Garca, but equally applicable to any of the rivals chosen African despots He may be a son of a bitch, but hes our son of a bitch.. The Cuban missile crisis showed that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union were ready to use nuclear weapons for fear of the others retaliation (and thus of mutual atomic annihilation). same time he systematically stripped his country of its wealth and resources. March 30, 1946. By 1980, then, South Africa ruled by what Castro called a Fascist-Racist regime stood alone against the forces of African nationalism. A product of the Cold War, the Southeast Asia War (1961-1973) began with communist attempts to overthrow non-communist governments in the region. Liberation movements across southern Africa were sustained by the Soviet Union and Cuba, which sent large contingents of troops to support independence fighters. ", Sergei Mazov, "Soviet Aid to the Gizenga Government in the Former Belgian Congo (196061) as Reflected in Russian Archives. He emphasised that these links placed a burden of debt upon Cubans that they were duty-bound to repay., young members of guerrilla movements such as, Jean Luc Godard went to Maputo at the request of FRELIMO during this time as well. One Kremlin official, Anatoly Adamishin, spoke for many others when he asked: Why, with all our problems, did we have to get involved [in Africa]? We could not afford it. Angola alone owed the Soviet Union US$5bn, which it could not repay. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba threatened the nationalisation of foreign businesses, and looked to the Soviet Union for assistance. For its part the Soviet Union was happy to give military support to the governments of Angola and Mozambique and to the ANC. Edited by Stephen A. Smith. Fear of Communism haunted the white minority government of South Africa from the 1950's to the collapse of single party rule in Eastern Europe in 1989. Although the communist ideas and arguments of such European theorists as Marx and Engels have been around since just before the turn of the 20th century, they have never been widespread in Africa. ", Harry Brind, "Soviet policy in the Horn of Africa. In the event, Reagan did not need to commit his country to support South Africas last stand; events inside the Soviet Union were now dictating the outcome of the Cold War in Africa. The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (its Portuguese name abbreviated to MPLA), led by Agostinho Neto who became the newly independent nations first president, was backed by the Soviet Union which, in return, was allowed to establish a naval base at the countrys capital, Luanda. [9] The passive reliance on the Soviet model of development failed because of the unreliability of local leaders, and by the Congo Crisis the Kremlin learned that it was essential to find and promote ideologically reliable leaders, who needed Soviet help to build enough military strength to control their country. During 1956-1986, as part of the long South African Border War (1966-1990), the Soviets supplied and trained combat units from Namibia (SWAPO) and Angola (MPLA) at the ANC military training camps in Tanzania. * Benin * * After Mathieu Kerekou who was a military Commander overthrew the government, Benin became a communist state. This resulted in the widespread popularity of the ideas of Pan-Africanists from America, Europe, and the Caribbean, such as George Padmore and W.E.B. Dubois and the proponents of the concept of Ngritude as espoused by Leopold Senghor of Senegal and Aim Csaire of Martinique. Why US foreign policy was more violent in south America or east Asia than in Europe during the cold war ? Your country's customs office can offer more details, or . [29], In the 15-year Western Sahara War, the Soviet Union supported the Polisario Front and sent arms via Algeria. The United States threw its weight behind the rival party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), in co-operation with South Africa. The United States was sympathetic, in principle, to the gradual progression of colonized people toward independence. [28], President John F. Kennedy eagerly sought to establish good relations with newly independent African nations in the wake of Krushchev's 1961 speech that proclaimed the USSR's intention to intervene in anticolonial struggles around the world. The Second World War had given enormous impetus to the embryonic nationalist movements in British and French colonies. But for many leaders, it made more sense to evolve an It is argued that populist thinkers Nyerere, Cabral, and Fanon shared a common passion for a brand of socialism that was democratic and rooted in precolonial traditions as well as in Marxist-Leninist theory. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Radu, Michael, and Arthur Jay Klinghoffer. The Kremlin supported Gizenga, but did not want to take the international risks involved in delivering material aid to the blockaded Orientale Province. by the West for making a public stand against Communism, while at the Soviet and Warsaw Pact aircraft, arms and advisors were flown in to prop up his government. James Mulira, "The role of the Soviet Union in the decolonization process of Africa: from Lenin to Brezhnev. His corruption, like that of so many others of his kind, weakened economies and stifled growth. SUPPORT FROM WEST FEAR OF COMMUNISM North and South Vietnam In September 1945, the Vietnamese nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's independence from France, beginning a war that pitted Ho's communist -led Viet Minh. African form of socialism, drawing on African traditions than following This was the line taken by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1955 when he extended patronage to Nasser. African elites who were exposed to socialist ideas either in the workplace or through the writings of theorists such as Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin and were attracted by the notions of social equality, mutual respect, and the sharing of labor. After rejecting a Soviet proposal for a four-nation Marxist-Leninist confederation, the Somali government launched an offensive in July 1977 with the intent of capturing Ethiopias Ogaden region, starting the Ogaden War. The Cold War truly began to break down during the administration of Mikhail Gorbachev, who changed the more totalitarian aspects of the Soviet government and tried to democratize its political system. Inevitably, South Africa was drawn into the conflict, because Cubans were using Angolan bases to train guerrilla units. Mengistu urgently needed help. Neither Britain nor France would acknowledge their weaknesses. While the colonial empires crumbled, two superpowers jostled for influence in the world. Nato also armed two colonial powers, France and Portugal, in their struggles against nationalist insurgents in Algeria, Angola and Mozambique. Had the West offered assistance, there would have been much less need to look to Moscow. Fidel Castro sent 300,000 Cuban troops to Africa to support fellow revolutionaries against Western imperialism. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. March 1, 2023, 6:08 PM. From 1960, the Soviet Union became involved in several Marxist, African struggles, providing political support, weapons and military training, including to the Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in their fight against the Portuguese. The Soviet Union and Somalia had then signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1974. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, The Congo (Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), 19601965, War in the Portuguese Colonies, 19611975, European Communist Countries Other Than the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, Art, Art History, and the Study of Africa, British Colonial Rule in Sub-Saharan Africa, Communism, Marxist-Leninism, and Socialism in Africa, Development of Early Farming and Pastoralism, Early States And State Formation In Africa, Eastern Africa and the South Asian Diaspora, Great Lakes States of Eastern Africa, The, Health, Medicine, and the Study of Africa, Historiography and Methods of African History, Indian Ocean and Middle Eastern Slave Trades, Kongo and the Coastal States of West Central Africa. UNION. The Cold War was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. The Cold War had solidified by 1947-48, when U.S. aid provided under the Marshall Plan to western Europe had brought those countries under American influence and the Soviets had installed openly communist regimes in eastern Europe. Still, after the crisis, the Soviets were determined not to be humiliated by their military inferiority again, and they began a buildup of conventional and strategic forces that the United States was forced to match for the next 25 years. The point was not lost on Soviet propagandists. Moscows doctrinal purists had dismissed Nasser as a radical nationalist in the mould of those military strongmen who held sway across South America. In the late 1950s, both the United States and the Soviet Union were developing intercontinental ballistic missiles. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!: Reagans Berlin Speech, https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War, The National WWII Museum New Orleans - Cold Conflict, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - The Cold War, Cold War - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Cold War - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), China rips new US House committee on countering Beijing, Russia's sports exile persists 1 year after invading Ukraine, Norway official who spied for the Soviets has died in Moscow, 'It just rang': In crises, US-China hotline goes unanswered, helped overthrow a left-wing government in Guatemala (1954). Under American and British pressure, Rhodesia consented to black majority rule in 1979. under Major Ngouabi. An age of foreign interference. ", Guy de Carmoy, "France, Algeria, and the Soviet Penetration in the Mediterranean. Mobutu was similarly supported SOVIET SUPPORT President Dwight D. Eisenhower was hostile to Tour, so the African nation quickly turned to the Soviet Unionmaking it the Kremlin's first success story in Africa. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on Fear of Communism haunted the white minority government of South Africa from the 1950's to the collapse of single party rule in Eastern Europe in 1989. Washington feared that the metropoles intransigence would open the door to Soviet meddling. The subsequent . Between the two world wars, some Africans lived and work in Europe, and this experience produced many of the leaders and intelligentsia who would return to Africa with ideas about how to change their own societies and end colonial rule. The first appearances of communist ideas in Africa were introduced by European workers in newly industrializing colonies with a significant concentration of settlers. Cuba had already been providing low-level support to the MPLA since 1965, when Che Guevara was in the Congo, but from 1975, the game had changed. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Fidel Castro referred to the ties of blood and history that linked the two nations a large percentage of the enslaved Africans brought to the island to work on coffee and sugar plantations hailed from Angola. In Angola a war of succession followed, with three rival nationalist parties fighting for power. All thanks to the Putin regime's invasion of Ukraine. In 1948 President Vincent Auriol reminded Algerians that their country was never a state; you were rescued from slavery as well as tribes fighting each other. The Cuban mission was represented as a noble and selfless act of internationalist solidarity with a sister state whose hard-won liberty was under threat from reactionary and, above all, racist forces, says Christabelle Peters, the author of Cuban Identity and the Angolan Experience and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Warwick. 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