View source for People's Republic of Mozambique

{{Short description|1975–1990 country in southeast Africa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name            = ''República Popular de Moçambique''
| conventional_long_name = People's Republic of Mozambique
| common_name            = Mozambique
| era                    = Cold War
| event_pre              = [[Mozambican War of Independence|War of Independence]]
| date_pre               = 8 September 1974
| event_start            = Independence from Portugal
| year_start             = 1975
| date_start             = 25 June
| event1                 = [[Mozambican Civil War]] begins
| date_event1            = 30 May 1977
| event_end              = [[Constitution of Mozambique|Constitutional reform]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publicofficialsfinancialdisclosure.worldbank.org/sites/fdl/files/assets/law-library-files/Mozambique_Constitution_1990_%28as%20amended%29_en.pdf|title=The Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique, 1990|publisher=World Bank|date=2 November 1990|access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref>
| year_end               = 1990
| date_end               = 30 November
| p1                     = Portuguese Mozambique
| flag_p1                = Flag of Portugal.svg
| s1                     = Mozambique
| flag_s1                = Flag of Mozambique.svg
| image_flag             = Flag of Mozambique (1975–1983).svg
| image_flag2            = Flag of Mozambique.svg
| flag                   = Flag of Mozambique
| flag_type              = Flag (1975–1983)<br />Flag (1983–1990)
| flag_border            = no
| image_coat             = Emblem of Mozambique (1975-1982).svg
| symbol_type            = [[Emblem of Mozambique|Emblem]]<br/>(1975–1982)<!--
   symbol2                = --><div style="padding:3px 0;">[[File:Emblem of Mozambique (1982-1990).svg|75px]]</div><!--
   symbol_type2     = -->[[Emblem of Mozambique|Emblem]]<br/>(1982–1990)
| coat_type              = 
| coa_size               = 75px
| image_map              = LocationMozambique.svg
| official_languages     = Portuguese
| religion               = [[State atheism]] (de facto)<br />[[Roman Catholicism]], Islam
| capital                = [[Maputo]]<ref>known as Lourenço Marques until 1976</ref>
| largest_city           = capital
| demonym                = Mozambican
| national_motto         = "{{lang|pt|Unidade, Trabalho, Vigilância}}"<br/>("Unity, Work, Vigilance")
| national_anthem        = "[[Viva, Viva a FRELIMO]]"<br/>({{Langx|en|"Long Live, Long Live FRELIMO"}})<br />(1975–2002){{NoteTag|name=Flag1}}<br />{{center|[[File:Former national anthem of Mozambique, performed by the United States Navy Band.oga]]}}
| government_type        = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] [[One-party state|one-party]] [[socialist republic]]
| legislature            = [[People's Assembly (Mozambique)|People's Assembly]]
| title_leader           = [[List of presidents of Mozambique|President]]
| leader1                = [[Samora Machel]]
| year_leader1           = 1975–1986
| leader2                = [[Political Bureau of the Central Committee of FRELIMO|Political Bureau]]
| year_leader2           = 1986
| leader3                = [[Joaquim Chissano]]
| year_leader3           = 1986–1990
| title_deputy           = [[List of prime ministers of Mozambique|Prime Minister]]
| deputy1                = [[Mário da Graça Machungo|Mário da Graça]]
| year_deputy1           = 1986–1990
| area_km2               = 801,590
| area_sq_mi             = 309,496 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water          = 2.2
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| drives_on              = left
| currency               = [[Mozambican escudo|Escudo]] ([[ISO 4217|MZE]])<br/>(1975–1980)<br/>[[Mozambican metical|Metical]] ([[ISO 4217|MZM]])<br/>(1980–1990)
| calling_code           = [[+258]]
| footnotes              = 
| HDI                    = 0.227
| HDI_year               = 1990
}}

The '''People's Republic of Mozambique''' (Portuguese: ''República Popular de Moçambique'') was a [[socialist state]] that existed in present-day [[Republic of Mozambique|Mozambique]] from 1975 to 1990. It was established when the country gained independence from Portugal in June 1975 and the [[FRELIMO|Mozambican Liberation Front]] ("FRELIMO") established a one-party socialist state led by [[Samora Machel]]. The state enjoyed close political and military ties with the [[Soviet Union]], which was one of the first nations to provide diplomatic recognition and financial support to the fledgling FRELIMO government.<ref name=Vanneman>{{cite book|last=Vanneman|first=Peter|title=Soviet Strategy in Southern Africa: Gorbachev's Pragmatic Approach|url=https://archive.org/details/sovietstrategyin00vann|url-access=registration|year=1990|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sovietstrategyin00vann/page/59 59–68]|publisher=Hoover Institution Press|location=Stanford|isbn=978-0-8179-8902-6}}</ref> For the duration of its history, the People's Republic of Mozambique remained heavily dependent on Soviet aid, both in financial terms as well as with regards to food security, fuel, and other vital economic necessities.<ref name=Vanneman/> From 1977 to 1992, the country was devastated by a deadly [[Mozambican Civil War|civil war]] which pitted the armed forces against the anti-communist [[RENAMO|Mozambique National Resistance]] (RENAMO) insurgency, backed by neighbouring [[Rhodesia]] and South Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572241_6/Communism.html |title=Mozambique |work=[[Encarta]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028094746/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572241_6/Communism.html |archive-date=2009-10-28}}</ref>

The People's Republic of Mozambique enjoyed close relations with the [[People's Republic of Angola]], [[Cuba]], and the [[East Germany|German Democratic Republic]] (East Germany), which were [[socialist state]]s at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-648.html |title=Angola: Communist nations |date= February 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The New Communist Third World |first=Peter John |last=de la Fosse Wiles |publisher= Croom Helm |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-7099-2709-9}}</ref> The People's Republic of Mozambique was also an observer of the [[COMECON]] ("Council for Mutual Economic Assistance"), which was an economic organization of socialist states.<ref>{{cite book |last=Burant |first=Stephen R. |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/frd/frdcstdy/ea/eastgermanycount00bura_0/eastgermanycount00bura_0.pdf |chapter=Appendix B: The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance |title=East Germany: a country study |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |page=300 |lccn=87600490}}</ref> Mozambique made a bid to formally join COMECON as a member state in the early 1980s but was rebuffed, despite East German sponsorship and endorsements.<ref name=Vanneman/> Following the decline of Soviet and COMECON economic influence in the 1980s, the People's Republic of Mozambique sought rapprochement with the United States of America, the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[West Germany|German Federal Republic]] after the death of [[Samora Machel]] and the beginning of economic reforms under [[Joaquim Chissano]].

Geographically the People's Republic of Mozambique is the exact same as the present-day Republic of Mozambique, located on the southeast coast of Africa. It bordered Swaziland to the south, South Africa to the southwest, Rhodesia (later [[Zimbabwe]]) to the west, Zambia and Malawi to the northwest, and Tanzania to the north.

==History==
===Background===
{{main|Mozambican War of Independence|Carnation Revolution}}

Portugal fought a long and bitter counter-insurgency campaign in Mozambique from 1964 to 1974 against the ''Frente de Libertação de Moçambique'' (FRELIMO), an anti-colonial African nationalist movement which initially operated out of external sanctuaries in neighbouring [[Tanzania]].<ref name=Katz>{{cite book|last=Katz|first=Mark|editor-last=Kanet|editor-first=Roger|title=The Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and the Third World|date=1987|pages=46–48|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-34459-3}}</ref> FRELIMO had begun forming a guerrilla army to resist Portuguese rule by early 1963, with most of the insurgents being trained in [[Algeria]] and provided with arms by both the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.<ref name=Marcum>{{cite book|last=Marcum|first=John|editor1-last=Burke|editor1-first=Edmond|editor2-last=Clough|editor2-first=Michael|title=Conceiving Mozambique|date=2018|pages=89, 149–150, 175–178|publisher=Palgrave-Macmillan|location=London|isbn=978-3-319-65986-2}}</ref> The Soviet Union supplied FRELIMO with small arms, fuel, food, logistical vehicles, and financial contributions ranging from $85,000 to $100,000 annually, while the Chinese government supplied FRELIMO with over 10,000 tonnes of weaponry in 1971 alone.<ref name=Marcum/> FRELIMO also soon gained a monopoly on support and recognition from the [[Organisation of African Unity]] (OAU), which plied it with financial assistance as well as arms funnelled through the sympathetic Tanzanian government.<ref name=Marcum/> In response to the FRELIMO insurgency, the Portuguese resorted to a [[Villagization|villagisation]] campaign modelled after the [[Strategic Hamlet Program]] implemented by the United States in the [[Vietnam War]], sealing thousands of Mozambican civilians in fortified settlements in an attempt to isolate the insurgents from their popular bases of support.<ref name=Marcum/> It also launched general offensives to close FRELIMO's infiltration routes into Tanzania and recruited more indigenous counter-insurgency units.<ref name=Marcum/> Despite these measures, the Portuguese had lost control of vast segments of the country by early 1973. FRELIMO not only controlled much of northern Mozambique, but its penetration of the territory's central and southern provinces, and even the peripheries of major cities, was substantial.<ref name=Volk>{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Jamie|title=An African Volk: The Apartheid Regime and Its Search for Survival|year=2016|pages=119–125|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-027483-2}}</ref>

The [[Carnation Revolution]] of April 1974 toppled Portugal's right-wing government and ushered in a junta managed by the [[Armed Forces Movement]] (MFA).<ref name=Volk/> The MFA soon announced that it would divest itself of the country's remaining colonies and end the costly colonial wars.<ref name=Volk/> FRELIMO responded that it would only pursue peace talks on the following conditions: Portuguese recognition of FRELIMO as the sole legitimate representative of the Mozambican people, recognition of the country's right to "complete independence", and the immediate transfer of power to FRELIMO.<ref>{{cite book |first1=George |last1=Houser |first2=Herb |last2=Shore |title=MOZAMBIQUE: Dream the Size of Freedom |publisher=The Africa Fund |date=1975 |url=https://projects.kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/210-808-10765/AAAFMozDream75opt.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite CiteSeerX |last1=Mario |first1=Mouzinho |first2=Debora |last2=Nandja |title=Literacy in Mozambique: education for all challenges |date=2006 |citeseerx=10.1.1.693.8542 }}</ref> By September the MFA had confirmed it would comply with these conditions and effect a transition of power directly to FRELIMO, without a local referendum or elections.<ref name=Volk/> This alarmed Portugal's Western allies, the anti-communist white minority regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia, and the considerable population of white settlers in Mozambique.<ref name=Volk/> The MFA's announcement led to an attempted coup d'état by right-wing white Mozambicans, which was forcibly crushed by Portuguese troops.<ref name=Volk/> A report by the United States consulate there found "there is no doubt in our mind that post-independence FRELIMO-run Mozambique will be heavily influenced by Soviets and Chinese".<ref name=Volk/> The South African and Rhodesian governments feared that a sympathetic FRELIMO regime in Mozambique would likely provide a conduit for African nationalist insurgencies to launch raids into their own countries.<ref name=Volk/> For example, a South African military intelligence report at the time claimed that domestic insurgents "will enjoy much greater freedom of movement through...Mozambique while they will receive more direct and indirect moral and material support...the timescale according to which events will likely develop will be defined chiefly by the USSR and China: the two powers who have the greatest incentive to create and manipulate tension in southern Africa".<ref name=Volk/>

On September 7, FRELIMO and Portugal signed the [[Lusaka Accord]], which ended the country's war of independence. The Lusaka Accord set the date for formal independence: June 25, 1975.<ref name=Marcum/> It also granted FRELIMO effective political ascendancy in Mozambique during the interim period as Portuguese administrators, civil servants, and military personnel departed.<ref name=Marcum/> FRELIMO soon began a crackdown on its political opponents: FRELIMO defectors and members of the ''Partido de Coligação Nacional'' (PCN), a rival nationalist party, were rounded up and sent to [[Re-education camp (Mozambique)|re-education camp]]s.<ref name=Marcum/> Defectors living in exile were persuaded to return home with promises of receiving political amnesty, only to be arrested at the airport by FRELIMO security officials.<ref name=Marcum/> A large number of FRELIMO defectors had taken refuge in [[Kenya]], including former students and militants who refused to return home.<ref name=Cabrita>{{cite book|last=Cabrita|first=João|title=Mozambique: The Tortuous Road to Democracy|date=1997|pages=84–93|publisher=Palgrave-Macmillan|location=London|isbn=978-0-333-92001-5}}</ref> Since the independence war was over, the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR) stripped them of their refugee status and recommended they be involuntarily repatriated.<ref name=Cabrita/> Fearful of FRELIMO reprisals upon their return, the defectors staged demonstrations outside the UNHCR offices in Nairobi, prompting the Kenyan government to review their case and allow them to remain in that country.<ref name=Cabrita/>

===Independence and early post-colonial era===

The People's Republic of Mozambique was proclaimed upon independence in an elaborate ceremony on June 25, 1975.<ref name=Machele>{{cite book|last=Machele|first=Julian|editor-last=Green|editor-first=M. Christian|title=Law, Religion and Human Flourishing in Africa|date=1997|pages=335–337|publisher=African Sun Media|location=Stellenbosch|isbn=978-0-8122-1620-2}}</ref> The initial independence day celebrations were held at [[Estádio da Machava]]; these were proceeded by a symbolic journey by newly appointed president and FRELIMO party chairman [[Samora Machel]] across Mozambique, beginning in the north where FRELIMO had first launched its armed struggle and culminating in the southern provinces.<ref name=Machele/> The new constitution of the People's Republic, which was completed by June 20 and took effect immediately upon independence, vested absolute power in the workers and peasants, "united and led by FRELIMO and by the organs of people's power".<ref name="1975Constitution">{{cite web|title=CONSTITUIÇÃO DA REPÚBLICA POPULAR DE MOÇAMBIQUE|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=http://cedis.fd.unl.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CONST-MOC-75.pdf|location=Maputo|publisher=Government of the People's Republic of Mozambique|date=June 20, 1975|access-date=23 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603204058/http://cedis.fd.unl.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CONST-MOC-75.pdf|archive-date=3 June 2019}}</ref> The constitution enshrined FRELIMO's ascendancy in a oneparty socialist state, declaring that FRELIMO was "the governing force of the state and society....FRELIMO outlines the basic orientation of the state and directs and supervises the action of state organs in order to ensure compliance with state policy with the interests of the people".<ref name="1975Constitution"/> The constitution also established a planned economy, although it made provision for the respect of personal property.<ref name="1975Constitution"/> Anti-social practices, such as discrimination or any act which the state deemed jeopardised social harmony, were made punishable offences under law.<ref name="1975Constitution"/>

Executive, legislative, and judiciary powers were vested in the ruling party.<ref name=Cabrita/> The party chairman of FRELIMO was also granted the role of state president, chief justice of the nation's courts, commander in chief of the armed forces, and the speaker of parliament.<ref name=Cabrita/> The national legislature was known as the People's Assembly and convened for four-day sessions twice a year.<ref name=Cabrita/> It was made up of 210 unelected representatives appointed to each seat by FRELIMO's political leadership.<ref name=Cabrita/> Due to the fact the legislature only met once a year, most legislation was proposed and in fact preemptively implemented by the executive branch; the People's Assembly merely ratified the president's decision upon convening.<ref name=Cabrita/> This permitted the president of the People's Republic to rule essentially by decree.<ref name=Cabrita/> With regard to the judiciary, the government banned all private law practice and called for a national legal consultancy to provide public defenders for those in court.<ref name=Cabrita/> No national legal consultancy was actually established until 1986, meaning those being tried in court had no recourse to legal counsel.<ref name=Cabrita/> Until the legal consultancy could be established, FRELIMO ruled that the organs of state were empowered to administer "people's justice", or otherwise extrajudicial and often arbitrary judgments without the use of the court system.<ref name=Cabrita/>

The first months of Samora Machel's presidency were marked by a series of sweeping reforms: the new government nationalised healthcare, education, and land.<ref name="First">{{cite journal |first1=R. |last1=Madeley |first2=D. |last2=Jelley |first3=P. |last3=O'Keefe |title=The Advent of Primary Health Care in Mozambique |journal=Ambio |volume=12 |number=6, The Indian Ocean |year=1983 |pages=322–325 |jstor=4312958}}</ref> All forms of production and retail enterprise were nationalised shortly afterwards.<ref name=Marcum/> FRELIMO also dictated that all broadcasting services must be brought under the control of a single state-owned broadcasting network, and instituted strict government control of the press.<ref name="First"/> Machel declared that it was the responsibility of the state to impose the will of the peasant and worker majority, "even if it meant forcing those who refuse to accept such an imposition, and to repress those who oppose such a will".<ref name=Cabrita/><ref name=Marcum/> Attacks were also launched against the Mozambican intelligentsia.<ref name=Cabrita/> Although typically quite progressive and pro-FRELIMO prior to independence, intellectual and academic associations also had a longstanding democratic tradition, promoted free debate, and were open to diverse political ideas, all of which were regarded with suspicion by the new political establishment.<ref name=Cabrita/> A pervasive form of censorship was imposed; Machel announced that all "manifestations and influences of the bourgeoisie's decadent subculture would be purged".<ref name=Cabrita/> Elements of Western pop culture and music, for example, were banned for their "self-evident elitism".<ref name=Cabrita/>

FRELIMO began a campaign of mass politicisation: it attempted to organise every segment of the population into a local party chapter that also functioned as a workplace union.<ref name=Cabrita/> Unions were created for women, schoolchildren, teachers, journalists, writers, and workers.<ref name=Cabrita/> Party cells were established at all workplaces and in every residential area.<ref name=Cabrita/> Cities were divided into communal wards, which in turn were divided into blocs made up of units of ten families each.<ref name=Cabrita/> FRELIMO officials were appointed to politicise each bloc in that ward, which meant ensuring every resident was registered at the local FRELIMO cell and monitoring their respective incomes, lifestyles, and day-to-day activities.<ref name=Cabrita/> Family units were required to report guests and visitors to the official responsible for their bloc.<ref name=Cabrita/> Their movements were heavily restricted; to ensure compliance with the communal ward and bloc system, only registered persons were permitted to use hospitals, clinics, schools, and shops.<ref name=Cabrita/> Bloc registration also entitled residents to ration cards, without which they were prohibited from buying food.<ref name=Cabrita/> An internal passport granted by FRELIMO was required to travel outside one's residential area.<ref name=Cabrita/>

Following the Portuguese withdrawal, many rural Mozambicans moved out of the fortified settlements established as part of the wartime villagisation programme, returning to their ancestral homesteads.<ref name=Burr>{{cite book|last=Burr|first=Lars|editor1-last=Kelly|editor1-first=Tobias|editor2-last=Thiranagama|editor2-first=Shakira|title=Traitors: Suspicion, Intimacy, and the Ethics of State-Building|date=2010|pages=35–36|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-0-8122-2237-1}}</ref> However, FRELIMO revived the villagisation campaign and forcibly herded large sections of the peasantry into collectivised agricultural co-operatives.<ref name=Burr/> By concentrating the rural population in these large collectivised settlements, FRELIMO insisted it could better provide the peasants with basic services and ideological indoctrination.<ref name=Burr/>

As part of their politicisation campaign, FRELIMO cells constantly reminded Mozambicans that the permanent enemies of the state were the abstract concepts of colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism.<ref name=Burr/> However, in the party's ideology, enemies closer to home were constantly being decoded and identified locally and were thus, potentially everywhere.<ref name=Burr/> Such enemies were defined as those who displayed anti-social behavior aimed at obstructing the government.<ref name=Burr/> Even the smallest deviance from the planned realities of collective blocs in the cities and collective villages in rural areas could be decoded as a sign of obstruction or resistance.<ref name=Burr/> To identify potential enemies of the state, the security services established an official network of informants, which eventually grew to number 17,000 in the Maputo area and 150,000 nationwide.<ref name=Cabrita/> Neighbours were encouraged to inform on each other and report on those who spoke positively about the new society's enemies.<ref name=Burr/>

===Civil war===
{{main|Mozambican Civil War}}

==Climate==
{{main|Climate of Mozambique}}

The People's Republic of Mozambique had a tropical climate with two seasons, a wet season from October to March and a dry season from April to September. Climatic conditions varied depending on altitude. Rainfall was typically heavy along the coast and decreased in the north and south. Annual precipitation varied from {{convert|500|to|900|mm|in|abbr=on}} depending on the region, with an average of {{convert|590|mm|in|abbr=on}}. Cyclones were common during the wet season. Average temperature ranges in Maputo were from {{convert|13|to|24|C|F}} in July and from {{convert|22|to|31|C|F}} in February.

The People's Republic of Mozambique experienced numerous extreme weather events, most notable were [[Tropical Storm Domoina]] in 1984 and an extensive drought and famine from 1985 to 1987.

==Foreign relations==

The People's Republic of Mozambique enjoyed close military, political, and economic ties with the member states of COMECON during its brief history, particularly the Soviet Union and Cuba. Both countries deployed military missions in Mozambique during the civil war to advise, train, and equip the People's Forces for the Liberation of Mozambique (FPLM). In 1978, there were up to 1,000 Soviet and Cuban military personnel deployed in the country.<ref name=Vanneman/> There were also large civilian technical contingents deployed; up to 600 Cuban and 650 Soviet technicians were in the country during the late 1980s, working on developing mining and rail infrastructure and fisheries.<ref name=Vanneman/> Both countries also provided vocational training and university scholarships to Mozambican nationals on especially generous terms. In 1987, for example, 4,000 Mozambicans received scholarships to study in Cuba, and 800 were receiving vocational instruction there.<ref name=Vanneman/> Between 1977 and 1990, the Soviet Union provided Mozambique with $105 million in financial aid.<ref name=Vanneman/> During the 1980s, it was the country's largest overseas trading partner, supplying a plurality of Mozambique's imported goods and all of its oil on credit.<ref name=Vanneman/> Many of the Soviet imports were directly bartered for agricultural goods produced by Mozambique's peasant farmers.<ref name=Vanneman/>

Despite the frosty diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of Mozambique and South Africa's avowedly anti-communist [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]] government, economic realities ensured that certain practical ties were always retained.<ref name=Vanneman/> Throughout the civil war, Mozambique sold power from its hydroelectric complex on [[Cahora Bassa]] to South Africa, and South African investors always held a notable stake in the country's port facilities.<ref name=Vanneman/>

In the late 1980s, with Soviet economic influence waning, the People's Republic of Mozambique concluded its first major agreement with the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), joined the [[Lomé Convention]], and opened diplomatic relations with a number of states outside the Soviet bloc, namely [[West Germany]].<ref name=Vanneman/>

==Armed forces==
Upon independence in 1975 the guerilla forces of FRELIMO, the People's Forces for the Liberation of Mozambique (Forças Populares de Libertação de Moçambique - FPLM) was reorganised into the Armed Forces of Mozambique (Forças Armadas de Moçambique - FAM),<ref>Malache, Adriano, Paulino Macaringue, and Joao-Paulo Borgues Coelho. "Profound Transformation and Regional Conflagrations: The History of Mozambique's Armed Forces 1975-2005." In Evolutions and Revolutions, edited by Martin Rupiya. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, 2005.</ref> the official designation being "Forças Armadas de Moçambique - FPLM."

The FAM was initially organised along similar lines to its predecessor, with no formal ranks<ref>Costa Kumalija, "Frelimo to abolish army ranks" ''Daily News'' (DSM), 5 June 1975</ref> besides from a system of "comandantes" who were elected to the position by fellow soldiers. FRELIMO and the FAM/FPLM were virtually indistinguishable from each other following their close relationship through the independence war. In December 1975 Mozambique was rocked by an abortive rebellion in Lourenço Marques (Maputo) when 400 troops of the FAM occupied strategic positions in Machava before being forced back by loyal police, military and civilians. The rebellion was in response to a crackdown and purge on corruption within the military and party.<ref>Costa Kumalija, "Storm in a Teacup" ''Africa'' no 55, March 1976</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Mozambique Educational Fund poster.jpg|thumb|1977 poster by [[Rupert García]] for the Mozambique Educational Fund]]

Public schools lacked basic supplies, and fundraising efforts began by groups like the Mozambique Educational Fund in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/asa-news/article/lettermozambique-educational-fund/81E34F9D5E74A7BDAA16BF084164AD07 |title=Letter/Mozambique Educational Fund |date=October 1977 |journal=ASA News |volume=10 |issue=4–5 |pages=10–11 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |issn=0278-2219}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://projects.kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/210-808-1749/mozedfund12-5-77opt.pdf |title=Letter |first= Allen |last=Isaacman |work=African Activist Archive |date=December 5, 1977}}</ref>
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==Economy==

===Agriculture===

===Industry===

==Demographics==

==Healthcare==

==Legacy==
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==Culture==
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===Arts and dance===
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===Public holidays===

{| class="wikitable"
! Date !! English name
|-
| 1 January || [[New Year's Day]]
|-
| 3 February || [[Heroes' Day (Mozambique)|Heroes' Day]]
|-
| 7 April || [[Mozambican Women's Day]]
|-
| 1 May || [[Workers' Day (Mozambique)|Workers' Day]]
|-
| 25 June || [[Independence Day (Mozambique)|Independence Day]]
|-
| 7 September || [[Victory Day (Mozambique)|Victory Day]]
|-
| 25 September || [[Revolution Day (Mozambique)|Revolution Day]]
|-
| 4 October || [[Armed Forces Day (Mozambique)|Armed Forces Day]]
|-
| 25 December || [[Family Day (Mozambique)|Family Day]]
|}

==See also==
*[[Mozambican War of Independence]]
*[[Mozambican Civil War]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot
|notes =
{{NoteTag|name=Flag1|"[[Pátria Amada]]" ('Beloved Homeland') is the national anthem of Mozambique, approved by law in 2002 under Article 295 of the Constitution of Mozambique. It was written by Salomão J. Manhiça and replaced "Viva, Viva a FRELIMO" on 30 April 2002. In 1992, the song's lyrics were removed, with the political changes that then took place. The parliament then held a contest to choose a lyrics. The result is the current anthem, Pátria Amada.}}
}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book | last = Priestland | first = David | title = The Red Flag: a History of Communism | publisher = Grove Press | location = New York | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-0-8021-4512-3 }}
*{{cite book | last = Christie | first = Iain | title = Machel of Mozambique | publisher = Zimbabwe Publishing House | location = Harare | year = 1988| isbn = 978-0-949225-59-7 }}
*{{cite book | last = Isaacman | first = Allen & Barbara | title =  Mozambique: From Colonialism to Revolution | publisher = Westview Press, Inc | location = Boulder | year = 1983| isbn = 978-0-566-00548-0 }}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

{{Socialist states|state=collapsed}}
{{Fall of Communism}}
{{History of Mozambique|bar=yes|state=collapsed}}
{{Mozambique topics}}
{{Years in Mozambique}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord missing|Mozambique}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:People's Republic Of Mozambique}}
[[Category:1975 establishments in Mozambique]]
[[Category:1990 disestablishments in Africa]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1975]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1990]]
[[Category:Communism in Mozambique]]
[[Category:Communist states]]
[[Category:Politics of Mozambique]]
[[Category:Mozambican Civil War]]
[[Category:Former socialist republics|Mozambique]]
[[Category:Atheist states]]