Angola: Political overview

Updated October 2005

The political background to contemporary Angola is periodized as follows:

• Early migrations and state formation (25 000BCE-1482CE)
• Portuguese, African polities and the slave trade (1482-1614)
• Mbundu and Lunda kingdoms (1614-1700)
• Expansion of the slave trade and its impact (1700-1836)
• Portuguese penetration of the interior (1836-1926)
• Salazar government and colonialism (1926-1951)
• Rise of nationalism (1951-1975)
• First civil war (1975-1992)
• Second civil war (1992-2002)
• Towards peace and democracy (2002-2007)