The economic development of Angola in the second colonial period - towards a synthesis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the principal changes in the Angolan economy in the century between the abolition of slavery and independence, a span named «the second colonial period». First to be considered is the emergence of a national economy, particularly by means of territorial consolidation and the establishment of a modern productive sector including plantations, mines and railways. Then the process of getting industry started is examined, with the distinction made between the so-called liberal phase (1961-1971) and the protectionist phase (1972-1974). The overall picture that is painted is of notable economic and population growth that nevertheless did not manage to launch Angola on the road to sustained development.