Blowback S6 Episode 2 - "Economy of Terror"
18 snips
Dec 22, 2025 Explore the complexities of the Portuguese empire in southern Africa and the roots of nationalism in Angola. Delve into the impact of colonialism, the slave trade, and the rise of nationalist movements. The discussion highlights the systemic exploitation in Angola's diamond industry, forced labor scandals, and the tension between settlers and indigenous populations. Key figures like Agostinho Neto and Jonas Savimbi emerge, alongside a look at geopolitical influences during the Cold War. This rich narrative unveils the intertwining of history, culture, and resistance.
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Colonial Expansion Fueled By Slave Trade
- Portuguese colonization began as coastal trade but grew into deep inland control that depended on the slave trade and coercion.
- This shift hollowed out African polities and integrated Angola into a brutal export economy dominated by Lisbon.
19th-Century Push To Build An Empire
- From the 1820s Portugal reinvented an African empire to match other European powers, fixing Angola's frontiers by the 1920s.
- Formal control expanded to extract cheap labor for plantations, railways, and mines under colonial rule.
Forced Labor Became The Economy
- Portugal kept slavery's logic alive through forced labor and conscription long after rivals abolished chattel slavery.
- Historians labeled the system an "economy of terror" that relied on fear, mutilation, and coercion to produce exports.
