People's Republic of Angola
People's Republic of Angola | ||||||||||
República Popular de Angola | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Capital | Luanda | |||||||||
Languages | Portuguese | |||||||||
Government | Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic | |||||||||
President | ||||||||||
• | 1975−1979 | Agostinho Neto | ||||||||
• | 1979−1992 | José Eduardo dos Santos | ||||||||
Prime Minister | ||||||||||
• | 1975−1978 | Lopo do Nascimento | ||||||||
• | 1991−1992 | Fernando José de França Dias Van-Dúnem | ||||||||
Historical era | Cold War | |||||||||
• | Independence from Portugal | 11 November 1975 | ||||||||
• | Admitted to the United Nations | 22 November 1976 | ||||||||
• | Abolition of Marxist government | 25 August 1992 | ||||||||
Currency | Kwanza | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
The People's Republic of Angola (Portuguese: República Popular de Angola) covers the period of Angolan history as a self-declared socialist state established in 1975 after it was granted independence from Portugal, akin to the situation in Mozambique. The newly founded nation enjoyed friendly relations with the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the People's Republic of Mozambique.[1] The country was governed by the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which was responsible for the transition into a Marxist-Leninist one party state. The group was backed by both Cuba and the Soviet Union.
An opposing group, known as the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), sparked a civil war with the MPLA, with the backing from both South Africa and the United States.
In 1991, the MPLA and UNITA signed a peace agreement, which would allow for multiparty elections in Angola. Though harsh disputes still followed, the People's Republic of Angola was finally dismantled in 1992, becoming the present day Republic of Angola.