Portuguese Africa: Rebellion and Resilience

Abstract

In this chapter, Ribeiro de Meneses and McNamara summarize Portugal’s colonial wars in Angola and Mozambique, including an emphasis on South African and Rhodesian readings of the conflict. There is an examination of the prospects and problems of the key liberation groups. They explain the implications of the widening of the war in both Angola and Mozambique, as well as Portugal’s conflicting strategies of engagement and confrontation with black Africa and how they compared to Rhodesian and South African efforts. Consideration is also given to the United States’ involvement in southern Africa.