The Hot ‘Cold War’: The USSR in Southern Africa by Vladimir Shubin (PDF)

Description

This book analyses the causes of armed conflicts in Southern Africa during the Cold War. It examines the influence of the various external forces in the region during this period and their relationship to local movements and governments.The book focuses on states experiencing violent internal conflict and foreign intervention, that is Angola, Mozambique, Namibia , South Africa and Zimbabwe.The author provides an unique history of the key part that the Soviet Union played in these developments. Spanning 30 years, the book explores how each country struggled for genuine independence against colonialism and apartheid and their place in the wider conflicts encompassed by the Cold War.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review ‘An illuminating, well researched and accessible account of the forces at work and the factors determining policies at particular times”The Soviet Union’s support for Southern African nationalism against Western imperialism is a crucial case study. There is no better author [on this subject] than Vladimir Shubin”Vladimir Shubin has unrivalled knowledge of the Soviet role in Africa in the decades of the Cold War. His personal yet scholarly account will be required reading for anyone interested in the fascinating story of the liberation of southern Africa’ About the Author Vladimir Shubin is deputy Director of of the Institute for African Studies in the Russian Academy of Sciences. Before joining the Academy from the 1960s he was involved in both the political and practical support for the armed struggles in an official capacity for the Soviet Union, during which time he had extensive contact with the leaders of the liberation movements.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The Hot “Cold War” is a book discussing the Soviet government’s support to various Southern African liberation movements in the 1960’s-1990’s including Angola, Rhodesia, and Mozambique. It is broken down into support by country and details various phases of their support for each nation. It discusses both the personal interactions, personalities, and types of material and political support given and the authors own involvement in this support.The book suffers from a number of issues. Firstly, is the the organization and flow of the book – particularly early on. The Angola sections especially saw the author jump around to various topics from paragraph to paragraph necessitating that I read several chapters twice to get a basic understanding of what was going on. The later chapters are much easier to follow, but all of the sections in the book largely require the reader to have a good understanding of the history of the conflicts and major players to be able to read the sections without rereading.More importantly, the author portrays the book as an academic pursuit (and indeed was published by an academic press), yet it strays dangerously into reductionist East-West conclusions frequently. At times it reads almost like a time capsule with thinly veiled barbs at the Chinese, Gorbachev, and all other things that were loathe to the Soviets almost 30 years ago. Too often the author displays the Soviets as brave pioneers seeking to help the Africans solely out of altruistic reasons. Conversely, it conveys the colonial powers and Western governments as conniving at every turn to prop up the South Africans, Rhodesians, and Portuguese. How one argues this when most of these governments were imposing embargoes on them (at least the first two) would bear some explaining. Furthermore, the author falls into the same trap as Conflicting Missions (which discusses Cuban involvement on the continent) in failing to justify the raison d’etat of how Soviet/Cuban involvement was more justified in South West Africa and Angola than the South African’s was. The post-script of the book – containing a brief, yet glib, dismissal of all current problems as being little more than the result of America’s quest for world domination in the face of the collapse of the Soviet Union. This I might be able to concede some points if Shubin mustered even a mention of the invasions of Hungary and Czechoslavakia, their assistance for massive repression in the GDR/DDR, and the country’s own invasion of Afghanistan. As it is, Shubin almost begs the reader to discredit his entire text as a result. Lastly, though heavily citing sources, a glance through the ends notes reveals that they rely almost exclusively on Soviet, Cuban, and liberation struggle member accounts, which hardly lends any credence to the claims against the enemy, though the author is hardly alone in this type of practice.As an American I know I have a certain level of bias to give my government a measure of leeway, but Shubin most often comes off as a petulant child, still determined to prove the justness of the cause of a system that no longer exists. To this extent, this book is both maddening and a disappointment, as it saw a dearth of knowledge on a particular topic, then failed to treat it honestly.Nevertheless, the book does provide a useful insight into the types and extent of support given to the different movements. For this the book is relevant to those interested in learning more about this particular facet of the Southern African liberation movements – if you’re willing to trudge through the negative aspects and the, at times blatant, bias of the book. Those interested in this vein of African conflicts, should also look into Conflicting Missions,Ultimately, the seems to combine the worse elements of academic dryness and popular non-fiction bombasticism, though students of these conflicts may find some worth to reading this title.

⭐A useful antidote to Western-oriented accounts; the author has an equal bias towards Soviet actions, but this source can contribute to a clearer understanding of Cold War events in Angolia, Rhodesia, Mozambique, and Namibia.

⭐This book, far from being “turgid” is well-written and a detailed “insider” account of the role the Soviet Union played in the liberation struggles in southern Africa. It is a fascinating account that really provides an insight into the way in which politics and personalities alongside geopolitics played out. The author does a great job in debunking some popular myths that have entered the historiographical popular wisdom. This book will likely be the standard text for anyone interested in how the Soviets aided in the fight against colonialism and apartheid in the region – whilst Britain, USA, Portugal etc did their best to oppose this.

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