National Liberation in Portuguese Guinea, 1956-1974

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Periodical article

Title:	National Liberation in Portuguese Guinea, 1956-1974
Author:	Chabal, Patrick
Year:	1981
Periodical:	African Affairs: The Journal of the Royal African Society
Volume:	80
Issue:	318
Period:	January
Pages:	75-99
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Guinea-Bissau
Subjects:	national liberation movements nationalism colonialism History and Exploration Military, Defense and Arms
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/721431
Abstract:	The Guinean nationalist party, the Partido Africano da Independencia da Guine e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), was the first in Africa to seek and achieve independence through armed struggle. As such, the Guinean case raises a number of historical and conceptual issues. Firstly, what were the dynamics whereby a movement of national liberation was transformed into a party capable of launching an armed struggle in the African context? Secondly, what exactly were the most significant factors which explain the success of the PAIGC. The author delineates the most plausible links between the PAIGC'S intended goals and its achieved ends through an examination of the political, military, and social policies of the party rather than through a mere recording of the historical facts. Although Amilcar Cabral, the founder and leader of PAIGC, is not the focus of the article, the relevance of his leadership emerges as one of the major themes for discussion. Notes.