Lecture Notes: Cold War and Decolonization

Introduction

• Summer of 1987: Key global context
  • Madonna popular in music
  • Cold War nearing its end
  • Reagan and Gorbachev had met
  • Soviet Union's impending collapse
  • African countries gaining independence
• Cuito Cuanavale, Angola: Significant battle
  • Convergence of multiple armies
  • Two main sides: U.S. vs Soviet support
  • Largest battle in Angola's Civil War
  • Final "hot" battle of the Cold War

Key Questions

• What can Cuito Cuanavale teach about Cold War and decolonization?

Global Context

• 20th Century Global Struggles
  • Clash of alliances: U.S. vs Soviet Union (Cold War)
  • Decolonization: Colonized peoples fighting for independence
• Interconnection
  • Cold War and decolonization are often studied separately but are deeply interconnected

Post WWII Developments

• End of WWII
  • Emergence of U.S. and Soviet Union as superpowers
  • Distrust and competition for global influence
• Impact on Colonized Peoples
  • Anti-colonial movements
  • Rise of independent nation-states

Cold War Dynamics

• Economics and Ideology
  • U.S. capitalism vs Soviet communism
  • Competing ideologies with different societal visions
• Non-Aligned Movement
  • Some nations remained neutral
  • Preserved own cultural and economic identity

Decolonization and Resource Needs

• Superpowers' Interests
  • Need for raw materials
  • Decolonization conflicts as opportunities
• Proxy Wars
  • Superpowers supporting factions aligned with their ideologies

Angola's Historical Context

• Colonial History
  • Portuguese colony until 1975
  • Use of forced labor for resource extraction
• Independence Movements
  • Nationalist resistance in 1960s
  • Overthrow of Portuguese dictatorship in 1975
  • Emergence of socialist MPLA, aligned with Soviet Union

Angolan Civil War

• Conflict Dynamics
  • UNITA rebels supported by U.S. and South Africa
  • MPLA government backed by Soviet and Cuban support
• Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987-1988)
  • Key battle in Cold War and decolonization overlap
  • Cuban and Angolan forces vs UNITA and South African troops
  • Symbol of Cold War confrontation and decolonization

Conclusion

• Broader Implications
  • Cuito Cuanavale as an example of Cold War and decolonization's interconnectedness
  • Exploration of further examples in the unit