Title. A Violent Transition: A Study of the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence.
The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence was a process of decolonization that took place in Portuguese occupied Guinea-Bissau between 1963 and 1974. Guinea had been a Portuguese territory from 1446, and was a major trading post for both natural resources and slaves.
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Baral was born to a middle class family in GUinea-Bissau, in West Africa. His parents were originally from Cape Verde; his father worked as a teacher, and his mother owned a shop. Cabral studied lower school in Cape Verde, and later moved to Lisbon to study agronomy (the study of soil and crops), and he developed connections with nationalistic -African students and anti-fascists. He became involved in the Movement for democratic Unity, where the communist party was present. It was at this period that Cambral became involved with Marxism. HOWever, the maxis that Cabral became involved in was the marxism of the STalinist parties, a rigid and mechanical theory. Cabral connects himself towards communism and soon after this would aft his life work. [7]After several failed attempts to set up anti-imperialist organisations, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) was founded in September 1956 under the leadership of Cabral and his brother, Luis. They initially tried to mobilise the working class of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde and to challenge Lisbon through mass protests rather than through clandestine or guerrilla methods. The PAIGC scored some successes and won the support of the colony’s urban workers. The 1950s had been a decade of industrial strife in Guinea-Bissau where an embryonic workers’ movement had begun to crystallise, and the PAIGC was initially able to tap into this agitation, leading several strikes and demonstrations for better working conditions and democratic rights. As Cabral explained: When Cabral returned to Guinea-Bissau , he and his brother Luis attempted to set an anti-imperialist organization, and after several failed attempts the African Party for the INdependence of GUinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) was founded. In the beginning, 1956, a small groups of Cape Verdeans, headed by Cabral, and a small group from Guinea-Bissau, started The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). They demanded better conditions relating to economic, political, and cultural efforts in Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. They have peaceful talks and negotiating independence with Portuguese colonizers. They first tried to challenge the colonizers through peaceful protest rather than guerrilla methods. ONe of the most important tactics that narval used when approaching the revolution was his pleas to the Portuguese soldiers, workers, and peasants. HE was attempting to bring peace between his people and the portuguese, so they would lie in solidarity. Cabrel knew that Portugal was a class society, and was oppressed with a dictatorship that was sending these people across seas to Africa. Cabral was different as say only the portuguese government as the enemy, but saw his European brothers and sister sas an Aly in the revolution. The PAIGC gained the support of the colonies urban worlds. during this time Guinea Bissau started their industrial streak and the workers union became to start, and PAIGC led many protests for better working conditions and workers rights. However, this didn't last longer and soon the Portuguese were deploying warplanes and bombing civilians. The colonizers started to bombs and raid guerrilla hideouts. Nevertheless, PAIGC began to hold elections around the country as they gained civilian support. The Portuguese were confined to their towns. Soon afterward, the rebels introduced missiles and bang to bomb the Portuguese air force planes in 1973.Guinea-Bissau (1962-74) War of Independence resulted in 5,000 civ. + 10,000 mil. = 15,000 deaths. By 1967, the PAIGC had successful had 147 attacks on the Portuguese, and controlled 2/3 of Guinea. The next year, Portugal started to fight back more seriously by installing a new governor of the colony. The new governor attempted to improve housing and communications in Guinea in order to gain support. However, in 1970, the Portuguese became to fight the rebels with napalm and defoliants.The PAIGC was supported by China, Cuba, the USSR, Senegal, Guinea, Libya, and Algeria. The PAIGC used guerrilla operations and warfare to combat their opponents. They were equipped with rifles, rocket launchers, and machine guns. They were met with napalm.Without Amilcar Cabral,the war for independence wouldn't have been possible, and Guinea Bissau would have remained colonized, and because of the ideology that Cabral possessed based on his study of the marxist theory, his tactics to approaching the war was the very thing that caused them to win. The war for decolonization and independence from Portugal was an impactful moment for Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The main rebel group started out a as small group who tried to change history with peaceful negotiations. Amilcar Cabral gained much supported because of charismatic personality, and intelligence. His methodology and ideology permeated the country and led the group to gain many supporters. Cabrak describes explains that the ultimate purpose of PAIGC was communist, even though they usually referred to themselves as marxists. Marxist by definition usually reject violence, and beast themselves not the struggle of workers in the city. The essence of Bolshevism is more flexible when it comes to its adaptation to the real need and the march of revolutionary process. Guinea-BIssau and Cape Verde were poor third world countries, something they had in common with the rest of Africa during the time of decolonization. Colonial capitalism had failed int he's countries, turning them into providers of cheap raw materials. They failed to raise the living of the peasant, who made up the majority of the population. Cabral conceded, the man desire of peasant was to see tales reduced, not to build socialism. Amilcar Cabral was assassinated in 1973 by members of his own movement. However, even though the Portuguese are winning more often, Portugal itself was being bankrupt, and in 1974, following a coup, the Portuguese negotiated with the rebels, and on October 10 independence was won, and Luis, Amilcar brother, came the first president. 1874 Portuguese soldiers, 6,000, and 7,000 civilians were killed during the 11 year war. Cape Verde voted for separation from Guinea and successfully won. After his death, his brother quiz took over and oversaw the decolonization for eh country HE attempted to carry out the original program but his attempts to industrialize the counter required the heavy taxation of the peasants. This led to food scarcity in urban area, and the villagers became angry and separated with the PAIGC. In 1989 Luiz was overthrown, and the regime of JOAO Vieira became and he reintroduced capitalism. In the 1990’s the country was gripped with civil war. Today GUInea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, it has also become a central hub for drug trafficking. In third world countries with no work in gels, where poverty is widespread, bureaucratic decline emerge faster, and politicians to exploit their position of power. Cabral talks about the theory of permanent revolution, studies in tsarist russia. The negative influence of stalin's communism held back cabals ideas. The Stalinists distortion of Marxism and leninism, the obliteration of Trotsky's legacy, and the continuation of the systems they defended created a wall that Cabral tried to break through . He hesitated to openly connect himself with marxist Leninist doctrines. According to historian Patrick Chabal “He came to view Marxism as a methodology rather than an ideology…Although the main thrust of his argument I undoubtedly marxist, what is more interesting are the qualification and innovation which Cabral makes.” Amilcar Cabral was the revolutionary socialist leader of the nationalistic movement that freed GUinea-Bissau fro portuguese colonizers. His work in guinea sa n agronomist for the colonial serve gave him knowledge of the socio-economic ttricitre of colonialism. Panic connected were petty bourgeois civil servant and other workers of the state. Cabral revolutionary ideology was more centered around around the political mobilization of the masses around practical protests and nonviolent resistance, rather than grand ideals and guerrilla movement. In 1962, independence arrived for Guinea-Bissau. Cabral theory of socialist revolution, based on marxism, was based on his understanding of the economic system of the third world.
References.
http://www.war-memorial.net/Guinea-Bissau-War-of-Independence-3.152
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/guineabissau.htm
https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/cabral/1966/weapon-theory.htm
https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/cabral/1966/weapon-theory.htm
Acknowledgments. Thank you to Amilcar Cabral and Sekou Toure, who without the war for independence wouldn't have been possible