Angola and the Soviet Union

Abstract

In the annals of the Angolan revolutionary decolonization process, the Soviet Union and its ally, Cuba, have carved a significant nitch for themselves. Given this existing rapport, the aim of this article is to examine and analyze the Angolan-Soviet relations in the political and diplomatic spheres. An appraisal of their economic and trade link as well as their cultural rapport are also examined and analyzed. In addition, it is also within the scope of this article to verify the authenticity or otherwise of the charge that in the 1970s and to date, the Soviet Union's military support surpasses all other variables in their relationships with some Southern African countries especially in the light of Angola's contemporary experience.

It is rather germane to mention at the onset that to say no chronicle of Angolan-Soviet relations without the role of Cuba is meaningless, is saying the obvious. Here allusions to Cuba and other Soviet allies should not be misconstrued as veering away from the scope of this article.