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Portuguese authorities after a left-wing coup granted independence to both Angola and Mozambique (1975). The result was a new independent Marxist government. Many educated Mozambicans believed that as they were told by left-wing instructors that socialism was the wave of the future, a scuentific system offering rapid economic development. Socialist and the authoritarian politics that followed with Soviet influence sparked resistance. And because the Mozambicans aided South African guerillas, the South Africans supported the Mozambique resistance. The result was a 17-year civil war. The war for independence was fought at low levels, the civil war was a different matter. It became a bloody, vicious struggle. Many Mozambicans were adversely affected, especially people in rural areas where the guerillas were active. Hundreds of thousands were killed. More than 1 million Mozambicans fled the country, seeking safety in Malawi which cuts into central Mozambique. Another million Mozambicans sought safe havens within the country. Large numbers of Mozambicans in the countryside migrated to the safety of the cities, especially the coastal cities where the Government maintained control. Agricultural production plummeted, Some authors seek to blame the economic collapse on entirely on the civil war. The war was certainly a major factor, but the Government's Marxist policies also played a major role. Mozambique country suffered a deep recession as the economy ground to a halt. Food became scarce. At the peak of the civil war, Mozambique reported one of the lowest per-capita caloric intakes in the world. The 1992 El Niño affected rainfall, precipitating a deadly famine. International relief efforts were impaired by the damage to the country's infrastructure and transportation network as a result of the civil war, making it difficult to get food to starving people. Feuding political parties also interfered with the relief work. A peace deal ended 16 years of civil war (1992). The country has begun reporting some progress in economic development and a degree of political stability has been achieved.
Portuguese authorities after a left-wing coup granted independence to both Angola and Mozambique (1975). The result was a new independent Marxist government. Many educated Mozambicans believed that as they were told by left-wing instructors that socialism was the wave of the future, a scientific system offering rapid economic development. This was the generalmpattern that followed Decolonization in Afica, but was particularly acute because Frelim was a Maxist-Lenist group. Mozambians at the time did not know that socialism does not work. That it destroys rather than creates wealth. Which is not urprising becuseat the time, many in the West still believed in socialism. And the Soviet Union had not yet fallen and China had not yet turned to market reforms.
Frelimo, a Marxist-leminist Party seized poower. Socialist and the authoritarian politics that followed with Soviet influence sparked resistance. And because the Mozambicans aided South African guerillas, the South Africans supported the Mozambique resistance--Remamo. The result was a 17-year civil war. The war for independence was fought at low levels, the civil war was a different matter. It became a bloody, vicious struggle. Many Mozambicans were adversely affected, especially people in rural areas where the guerillas were active. Hundreds of thousands were killed. More than 1 million Mozambicans fled the country, seeking safety in Malawi which cuts into central Mozambique. Another million Mozambicans sought safe havens within the country. Large numbers of Mozambicans in the countryside migrated to the safety of the cities, especially the coastal cities where the Government maintained control. Agricultural production plummeted, Some authors seek to blame the economic collapse on entirely on the civil war. The war was certainly a major factor, but the Government's Marxist policies also played a major role. Mozambique country suffered a deep recession as the economy ground to a halt. Food became scarce. At the peak of the civil war, Mozambique reported one of the lowest per-capita caloric intakes in the world. The 1992 El Niño affected rainfall, precipitating a deadly famine. International relief efforts were impaired by the damage to the country's infrastructure and transportation network as a result of the civil war, making it difficult to get food to starving people. Feuding political parties also interfered with the relief work.
Frelimo with its self-sestructive Marxist-Leninist fundation began to make important concessions to facilitate the peace process by opening up to the West. Mozambique joined the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (1984). And moved towars privatizing e the economy under a structural-adjustment program. Joaquim Chissano, became Mozambique’s president when Machel died in a plane crash (1986). He introduced a new constitution ending Frelimo’s one-party rule and Mozambique’s proclaimed socialist economy. The new constitution allowed for multiparty elections, but actually holding free elections was not going to be easy. And would equire an end to thre civil war. Renamo also began to change. It descalated in terror campaign and negan to reorganize as a politicalparty. Afonso Dhlakama, the Reamo leader, established contacts with international groups as emerged as a legitimate political figure. A peace deal was achieved ended 16 years of dehibilitatin civil war (1992). The United Nations provided military and civilian police, who versaw te peace process and election campaigning. This was one of the more successful U.N. actions. The European Union assited by conbntributing election materials. Frelimo and Renamo were of course the main participats in the elections, but several ther smaller parties were able to form and participate. This included partes formed by Mozambican businssmen who had been forced to flee the Marxist Frelio dictatorship. As a result, there were 12 presidential candidates and a comparabl number of politial parties offerng candidates for the National Assembly (October 1994). The multiparty elections were jufhed free and fair by the international observers. Frelimo president Chissano won a majority of the votes. Renamo gained a strong inority position in the national government and the National Assembly.
The country has finally begun reporting some progress in economic development and a degree of political stability was fnally beginningd. The new government, however, was confronted with a host of problems. Much of the country's limited infrasructure was destroyed in the civiwar. A huge problem was two million land mines that had been sewn in the countryside during te ndependence movemet and then the Civil War by the combatants. All cobatants planted mnes, but we note in ghe many internet articles about the mines, the quetion of who was esonsiblke is avioided. This proavly means that Frelimo planted most of them and that thaey are of Soviet and Chinese origin. We woud be intersted in any infiratn reades might have. Iinternational operation has cleared lare areas and Mozambiue hpes to be mine free in the near future. The important proess of demobilize Frelimo and Renamo militarybforces and form a new, unified national military proved difficult. There were n demobilization camps, but they were poorly supplied and there were few job prospects leading violent outbreaks.
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