The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimiento Popular de Libertação de Angola) is an Angolan political party that has ruled the country since independence in 1975.
MPLA was founded in 1956 by Angolan students in Portugal.
The party was one of three movements advocating Angolan independence from Portugal. The other two were:
The MPLA's core base includes the Kimbundu ethnic group and the mixed-race intelligentsia of the capital city, Luanda. It formerly had links to European and Soviet communist parties.
The armed wing of MPLA was FAPLA (Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola). FAPLA later became the national armed forces of the country.
A 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal established a military government that promptly ceased pro-independence fighting in Angola and agreed to hand over power to a coalition of the three movements. The coalition quickly broke down and Angola broke down into a state of civil war.
The United States, Zaïre and South Africa intervened militarily in favor of the conservative FNLA and UNITA. In response, Cuba, backed by the Soviet Union, funneled resources to the pro-communist MPLA. In November 1975, the MPLA had all but crushed UNITA, and the South African forces withdrew. The United States Congress barred further U.S. military involvement in the country.
Maintaining control over Luanda and the lucrative oil fields of the Atlantic coastline, the MPLA declared Angola's independence on November 11, 1975, the day the Portuguese abandoned the capital. Poet and freedom fighter Agostinho Neto became the first president upon independence, and he was succeeded by José Eduardo dos Santos in 1979.
In 1976, MPLA adopted Marxism-Leninism as the party ideology.
In 1983, MPLA added Partido do Trabalho (Party of Labour) to its name.
Protracted periods of civil war and South African aggressions commenced until 2002, when UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was killed. The two parties promptly agreed to a ceasefire, and a plan was laid out for UNITA to demobilize and become a peaceful political party.
In the 1992 elections, MPLA-PT won 53.74% of the votes, and 129 out of 227 members of parliament.
MPLA-PT is today a member of the Socialist International, and has renounced Marxism-Leninism.
Major mass organizations of MPLA-PT are:
- Organização da Mulher Angolana (Angolan Womens Organization)
- União Nacional dos Trabalhadores Angolanos (National Union of Angolan Workers)
- Organização dos Pioneiros de Agostinho Neto (Organization of Pioneers of Agostinho Neto)
- Juventude do MPLA (Youth of MPLA)
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