Author Description

When Mozambique became independent in 1975, after ten years of guerrilla struggle, large NATO-supported Portuguese army forces had proved unable to hold out against the much smaller peasant units led by FRELIMO. Perhaps the prime secret behind this outstanding success was Popular Power -- democratic forms of participation in both civil and military life. These experiences from the struggle were to make a forceful imprint on the political organization of the new society. The dream of national independence, which guided the formation of FRELIMO in 1962 and the start of the guerrilla struggle two years later, finally came true. But the dream of growing prosperity in a democratic society is no longer talked of in a Mozambique now plagued by hunger and widespread banditry. Still, it may be this very legacy which today holds the country together. This book is a penetrating insight into the historical process of formation of a new state: the steps taken to create the basis for a democratic development, and the forces working for economic modernization through centralization and advanced technology.