Angola history in the Middle Ages Between 7 Century and 9 Century could Bantu ethnic groups in the territory of present-day Angola resign. In the 14th Century, in the north of Angola, the Kongo Kingdom (see detail there), with its capital, Mbanza Congo, in the 15th Century also founded the Kingdom of Ndongo. Portuguese rule Queen Nzinga in peace talks with Portuguese envoy 1657 In 1483 landed the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão as the first Europeans in the region, which in the following years to the establishment of commercial stations at the mouth of the Congo and along the Atlantic coast. The main purpose of these establishments was the slave trade with Brazil, which is only with the prohibition of the slave trade 1869 changed. 1576, the modern capital of Luanda. Angola will officially be a Portuguese colony, but already 1580 fell Portugal itself to Spain (until 1640). A (further) a brief interruption of Portuguese rule over Angola occurred between 1641 and 1648. During this time, the Netherlands controlled the country. To mythical figure in the struggle against the colonialists was Queen Nzinga of Matamba (Jinga). Angola-contract After 1885 Portugal claims to the opposite Belgian Congo (Zaire) on the appeal of Germany had failed, Lisbon 1890 also had British pressures and on the connection of Angola and Mocambiques to a closed South African colonial empire abandon. Instead, it adopted in the Portuguese colonies of the British capital considerable influence. Negotiations on a britisch-deutsches alliance led but already 1898 on the so-called Angola Contract: In the event that Portugal need money, Germany and Britain agreed a common bond, for which the Portuguese colonies were intended as a pledge. In the case of the expected insolvency of Portugal should be central Angola (Inner-Angola) to the UK, however, North, South and West Germany Angola to fall (well Nord- Mocambique in Germany, Süd-Mocambique to Britain). Germany renounced for the support of Buren in their fight against Britain. The agreement was signed on 30 August 1898 closed, but never implemented, and already in 1899 by the extension of British protection guarantee (Windsor contract) for Portugal and all his possessions undermined. Although the British alliance never tried Britain 1912-1914 again, the final break with the empire affords. During a visit to the British king in Berlin was 1913, the Treaty of 1898 from the archives and even modified in favor of Germany. Well, it is already quite Angola. In addition, Germany offered in exchange for (Angola and) the Belgian Congo two thirds of the British- German South West Africa (Namibia). In fact, but hesitated to sign the UK until July 1914, then made the assassination of Sarajevo and the outbreak of the First World War, its implementation may be impossible. So Portugal was in possession of Angola and Mocambiques. Autonomy and independence struggle Angola autonomy status changed in 1951 by the conversion to a Portuguese overseas province. Angolans now had the opportunity to meet certain criteria, legally as Assimilado to be recognized. This status granted far-reaching equality with the Portuguese in Mother Country. The uprising national forces in the early summer of 1959 began, it was 1964 bloody leveled. Another 1972 from the Marxist MPLA incur the armed uprising in 1973 was brutally repressed after Portuguese troops, the last of the rebels overran. As a result of the revolution in Portugal ( "Carnation Revolution" 1974) gained Angola in the following year on 11 November 1975, with the independence and its first autonomous, the majority black government. That of the Organization of African States in 1974 recognized Portuguese Kongo, another Portuguese colony in South West Africa, whose independence negotiations with Portugal ran from Angola, and has since annexed as a province of Cabinda enclave on the territory counted. The independence aspirations of this region since decades of military force to suppress. The first government The first government was made up of members of the three major liberation movements (MPLA, UNITA and FNLA). First Head of State was MPLA-Führer Agostinho Neto. Shortly after independence broke a civil war between the MPLA, UNITA and the FNLA, in the foreign powers intervening after the MPLA to power in the state claimed for itself alone. A joint attack by UNITA and FNLA to the MPLA in Luanda entrenched failed at the end of 1975. The FNLA recovered from this defeat, not more, retired after Zaire, and now actually sank in the meaninglessness. civil war in Angola 1- The Marxist MPLA was launched by the Soviet Union and other socialist states with weapons, and by 50,000 Cuban troops and a few military advisers from the GDR. 2- The UNITA received from the United States funding and weapons and were used by South Africa by air and ground troops, weapons supplies and training programs. 3- The Zaire supported by more regional as politically motivated FNLA rose after heavy losses from the fighting. South Africa now again supported UNITA. In 1983, assaulting 5,000 South African soldiers up to 250 km deep in the south of Angola, in order to SWAPO bases from South West Africa (now Namibia) to destroy. They were South African information until mid- August 1983 418 SWAPO-Kämpfer and 29 South African soldiers killed. South Africa suffered in battles and skirmishes with Cuban associations sensitive defeats. This aroused South Africa's willingness to negotiate and to withdraw from Angola. On this unsuccessful military involvement in Angola is finally, the weakening of the position of South Africa in Namibia, 1990 in the state independence was sacked and the apartheid regime itself. In the year 1991 agreed to the two civil war MPLA and UNITA parties to a multi-party system. After today, the current President Jose Eduardo dos Santos (MPLA) by the UN monitored elections won, war broke out again (until 1993). The trigger was the conviction of UNITA, it was election fraud. Peace treaty The 20 November 1994 Lusaka Protocol, a peace agreement between the government and UNITA provided for the integration of former UNITA in the government. A national unity government was 1997 launched, but the bloody battles began again at the end of 1998 and led to the displacement including hundreds of thousands of people. The UNITA was split up, a part Savimbi rejected new attacks. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos sat on the conflict, the role of the Democratic instances except force. On 22 In February 2002, Jonas Savimbi, the leader of UNITA, shot, it was a truce between the two rival parties. The UNITA gave their armed struggle and took on the role of the leading opposition party. The resistance of the increasingly isolated internationally UNITA was already slackens. Angolan government troops were already 1998 strong enough in Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo), Congo (of Cabinda) and northern Namibia to intervene and UNITA had the last supply routes (diamond smuggling) are truncated. Angola today Although the political situation in Angola appears to normalize, President dos Santos had until now no democratization of the country. Today are among the most serious problems the impoverishment of Angola and the large number of mine fields, both as a results of 25 years of civil war. The guerrilla movements in the north of the country for the independence of Cabinda exclave fight, are also a major problem for the stabilization of the region. The peace in Angola, however, seems to continue to be stable.