Socialism and the ‘Soft State’ in Africa: an Analysis of Angola and Mozambique

Catherine V. Scott

doi:10.1017/S0022278X00010302

Socialism and the ‘Soft State’ in Africa: an Analysis of Angola and Mozambique

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2008

Catherine V. Scott

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The overthrow of Haile Selassie in Ethiopia in 1974, and the independence of Angola and Mozambique in 1975, as well as Zimbabwe in 1980, seem to have strengthened the case for classifying African régimes on the basis of their ideology.

In a collection of mainly country-studies of socialism in sub-Saharan Africa edited by Carl Rosberg and Thomas Callaghy in 1978, various explanations were advanced about why the so-called ‘first wave’ of radicals failed to transform African societies successfully, and a common theme was the major rô played by ideology in differentiating ‘African’ from ‘scientific’ socialist régimes.1 In 1981 David and Marina Ottaway contrasted the ‘African socialism’ of Guinea, Zambia, and Tanzania with the ‘Afrocommunism’ of Angola, Mozambique, and Ethiopia, and contended that ideology was the best indicator of the clear differences that existed in both their institutions and policy choices.2 In 1982 Crawford Young placed African régimes in three ideological categories: ‘Populist socialist’, and ‘African capitalist’.3

Type: Articles
Information: The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , March 1988 , pp. 23 - 36

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X00010302 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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^{Page 23 note 1} Rosberg, Carl G. and Callaghy, Thomas M. (eds.), Socialism in Sub-Saharan Africa: a new assessment (Berkeley, 1979).Google Scholar

^{Page 23 note 2} Ottaway, Marina and Ottaway, David, Afrocommunism (New York, 1981), p. 195.Google Scholar

^{Page 23 note 3} Young, Crawford, Ideology and Development in Africa (Berkeley, 1982), p. 12.Google Scholar

^{Page 24 note 1} Weitzer, Ronald, ‘In Search of Régime Security: Zimbabwe since independence’, in The Journal of Modern African Studies (Cambridge), 22, 4, 12 1984, pp. 529–77.Google Scholar

^{Page 24 note 2} Hyden, Goran, No Shortcut to Progress: African development management in perspective (Berkeley, 1983), pp. 6–8.Google Scholar

^{Page 25 note 1} Ekeh, Peter, ‘Colonialism and Two Publics in Africa: a theoretical statement’, in Comparative Studies in Society and History (Cambridge), 17, 1, 1975, pp. 91–112.Google Scholar

^{Page 25 note 2} Hyden, No Shortcut to Progress, pp. 43 and 63.

^{Page 25 note 3} Jackson, Robert H. and Rosberg, Carl G., ‘Personal Rule: theory and practice in Africa’, in Comparative Politics (New York), 16, 4, 07 1984, pp. 423–4.Google Scholar

^{Page 25 note 4} Ibid. pp. 430–6.

^{Page 26 note 1} Jackson, Robert H. and Rosberg, Carl G., Personal Rule in Black Africa: prince, autocrat, prophet, tyrant (Berkeley, 1982), p. 76.Google Scholar

^{Page 26 note 2} Issacman, Allen and Isaacman, Barbara, Mozambique: from colonialism to revolution (Boulder, 1983), p. 93.Google Scholar

^{Page 26 note 3} Ottaway and Ottaway, op. cit. p. 102.

^{Page 26 note 4} Luke, Timothy, ‘Angola and Mozambique: institutionalizing social revolution in Africa’, in Review of Politics (Notre Dame, Indiana), 44, 3, 07 1982, p. 413.Google Scholar

^{Page 27 note 1} Vieria, Siergio, ‘Law in the Liberated Zones’, in State Papers and Party Proceedings (London), Series 2, 2, 1979, pp. 11–17.Google Scholar

^{Page 27 note 2} Vail, Leroy and White, Landeg, Capitalism and Colonialism in Mozambique (London and Minneapolis, 1980), p. 396.Google Scholar

^{Page 27 note 3} Barnett, Don and Harvey, Ron, The Revolution in Angola: MPLA life histories and documents (Indianapolis and New York, 1972), p. 24.Google Scholar

^{Page 27 note 4} Alpers, Edward, ‘The Struggle for Socialism in Mozambique, 1960–72’, in Rosberg and Callaghy (eds.), op. cit. pp. 267–96.Google Scholar

^{Page 27 note 5} Santos, Marcelino Dos, ‘Frelimo Faces the Future’, in African Communist (London), 55, 1973, pp. 20–28.Google Scholar

^{Page 27 note 6} Ottaway and Ottaway, op. cit. p. 102.

^{Page 28 note 1} Morgenthau, Ruth Schachter, Political Parties in French Speaking West Africa (London, 1963), p. 233.Google Scholar

^{Page 28 note 2} Four out of 19 ministers in the newly independent Government in Mozambique were guerilla commanders, as were several members of the Politbureau in the war in Angola.

^{Page 28 note 3} Isaacman and Isaacman, op. cit. p. 89.

^{Page 29 note 1} Hyden, Goran, Beyond Ujamaa in Tanzania: underdevelopment and an uncaptured peasantry (London and Berkeley, 1980), p. 204.Google Scholar

^{Page 29 note 2} Jackson and Rosberg, Personal Rule in Black Africa, p. 233.

^{Page 29 note 3} Hyden, No Shortcuts to Progress, p. 21.

^{Page 30 note 1} Saul, John, ‘The Politics of Mozambican Socialism’, in Wiley, David and Isaacman, Allen R. (eds.), Southern Africa: economy, society, and liberation (Michigan, 1981), p. 156.Google Scholar

^{Page 30 note 2} Joint Publication Research Service (J.P.R.S.), Washington, D.C., 20 April 1979, ‘Party Cells Established’; Noticias (Maputo), 11 March 1979.

^{Page 31 note 1} Isaacman and Isaacman, op. cit. p. 124.

^{Page 31 note 2} ‘Out of Underdevelopment to Socialism’, Report of the Central Committee to the Fourth Congress, Maputo, 1983, p. 87.

^{Page 31 note 3} J.P.R.S., 18 April 1980, ‘Goals of Machel's Political and Organisational Offensive’; Noticias, 29 March 1980.

^{Page 31 note 4} Munslow, Barry (ed.), Samora Machel: an African revolutionary (London, 1985), pp. 74–5.Google Scholar

^{Page 31 note 5} Africa Contemporary Record, 1980–1 (London, 1981), p. 702.Google Scholar

^{Page 31 note 6} J.P.R.S., 9 June 1980, ‘May First Communiqué Discusses Announced Changes’; Noticias, 23 April 1980.

^{Page 32 note 1} Ibid. 23 March 1981, ‘Night Course for Party Members Initiated’; Ibid. 20 February 1981.

^{Page 32 note 2} Ibid. 22 May 1981, ‘Council of Ministers Reviews Results of Second Offensive’; Ibid. 21 April 1981.

^{Page 32 note 3} Marcum, John A., The Revolution in Angola, Vol. II, Exile Politics and Guerrilla Warfare, 1962–1976 (Boston and London, 1978), pp. 201–204.Google Scholar

^{Page 32 note 4} Fauvet, Paul, ‘The Rise and Fall of Nito Alves’, in Review of African Political Economy (Sheffield), 9, 1978, pp. 90–1.Google Scholar

^{Page 32 note 5} Birmingham, David, ‘The 27th of May: a note of the abortive 1977 coup in Angola’, in African Affairs (London), 77, 309, 10 1978, pp. 554–65.Google Scholar

^{Page 33 note 1} Africa Contemporary Record, 1977–8, p. 503.

^{Page 33 note 2} J.P.R.S., 16 July 1979, ‘Unity Must Be Forged Among All Revolutionary Elements’; Jurnal de Angola (Luanda), 24 05 1979;Google Scholar and 4 June 1979, ‘Politburo Communiqué Discusses Petit- Bourgeois Attitudes’; Ibid. 27 April 1979.

^{Page 33 note 3} Ibid. 29 January 1981, ‘Satisfactory Results of Last Rectification Seminar’; Ibid. 1 November 1980.

^{Page 33 note 4} Ibid. 24 February 1981, ‘Rectification Movement Statistics, Recommendations’; Ibid. 24 November 1980.

^{Page 33 note 5} Africa Confidential, June 1982, p. 3.

^{Page 33 note 6} Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–9, p. 487.

^{Page 33 note 7} J.P.R.S., 25 January 1979, ‘Editorial Elaborates on Neto's Speech, Attacks Petty Bourgeoisie’, Journal de Angola, 3 01 1979.Google Scholar

^{Page 33 note 8} Ibid. 4 January 1979, ‘Official Cites Difficulties in Rectification Campaign’; Ibid. 24 December 1978.

^{Page 33 note 9} Ibid. 2 May 1979, ‘Voluntary Work Needed in Cotton Fields’; Ibid. 23 April 1979.

^{Page 34 note 1} Ibid. 5 April 1978, ‘Sugar Quotas Not Met in Benguela’; Ibid. 5 February 1978.

^{Page 34 note 2} Ibid. 7 April 1978, ‘Workers' Absence Sabotages Angolan–Cuban Sugar Refinery’; Ibid. 12 February 1978.

^{Page 34 note 3} Ibid. 13 March 1978, ‘Local Producation, Better Distribution of Goods Planned’; Ibid. 2 February 1978.

^{Page 34 note 4} Ibid. 6 June 1979, ‘Special Workers' Stores Open in Shortage-Plagued Benguela’, Ibid. 1 April 1979.

^{Page 35 note 1} Ibid. 27 May 1982, ‘Departures of Party Members in Bie, Kuando Kubango, Discussed’; Ibid. 25 March 1982.

^{Page 35 note 2} Ibid. 12 July 1981, ‘Dos Santos May Day Speech on UNITA Offensive’; Ibid. 5 February 1981.

^{Page 35 note 3} Ibid. 28 July 1981, ‘Central Committee Issues Communiqué on its Session’; Ibid. 21 June 1981.

^{Page 36 note 1} Harris, Laurence, ‘Agricultural Cooperatives and Development Policy in Mozambique’, Journal of Peasant Studies (London), 7, 3, April 1980, pp. 338–52;Google Scholar and Kruks, Sonia and Wisner, Ben, ‘The State, the Party, and the Female Peasantry in Mozambique’, in Journal of Southern African Studies (Oxford), 11, 1, October 1984, pp. 106–28.Google Scholar

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