Cold War Liberation - (New Cold War History) by Natalia Telepneva (Paperback)

About the Book

"Cold War Liberation examines the African revolutionaries who led armed struggles in three Portuguese colonies-Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau-and their liaisons in Moscow, Prague, East Berlin, and Sofia. By reconstructing a multidimensional story that focuses on both the impact of the Soviet Union on the end of the Portuguese Empire in Africa and the effect of the anticolonial struggles on the Soviet Union, Natalia Telepneva bridges the gap between the narratives of individual anticolonial movements and those of superpower rivalry in sub-Saharan Africa during the Cold War"--

Book Synopsis

Cold War Liberation examines the African revolutionaries who led armed struggles in three Portuguese colonies--Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau--and their liaisons in Moscow, Prague, East Berlin, and Sofia. By reconstructing a multidimensional story that focuses on both the impact of the Soviet Union on the end of the Portuguese Empire in Africa and the effect of the anticolonial struggles on the Soviet Union, Natalia Telepneva bridges the gap between the narratives of individual anticolonial movements and those of superpower rivalry in sub-Saharan Africa during the Cold War.

Drawing on newly available archival sources from Russia and Eastern Europe and interviews with key participants, Telepneva emphasizes the agency of African liberation leaders who enlisted the superpower into their movements via their relationships with middle-ranking members of the Soviet bureaucracy. These administrators had considerable scope to shape policies in the Portuguese colonies which in turn increased the Soviet commitment to decolonization in the wider region. An innovative reinterpretation of the relationships forged between African revolutionaries and the countries of the Warsaw Pact, Cold War Liberation is a bold addition to debates about policy-making in the Global South during the Cold War.

We are proud to offer this book in our usual print and ebook formats, plus as an open-access edition available through the Sustainable History Monograph Project.

Review Quotes

"[Telepneva] trace[s] with regret the arc of movements that started off calling for freedom and self-determination but ended up running neocolonial or authoritarian regimes . . . . a sober assessment of the tough and sometimes impossible choices facing left-wing anti-colonial activists who were under pressure from foreign enemies and foreign allies alike. "--London Review of Books

"An essential book for scholars as well as Africa-focused policymakers. It offers not only an excellent and nuanced historical exploration of Soviet-African relations during a tumultuous time, but also multiple useful insights for how policy is formed, mediated, executed, and interpreted both within and between a global power and a local partner."--The Strategy Bridge

"An innovative reinterpretation of the relationships forged between African revolutionaries and the countries of the Warsaw Pact, Cold War Liberation is a bold addition to debates about policy-making in the Global South during the Cold War."--Portuguese American Journal