Discussion On The Exploitation Of Mineral Resources And The Process Of Economic Modernization In Angola (1961-2006)

Angola is the African Great Power of mining industry. From the latter half of 20^th Century, the exploitation of mineral resources has given an important impulse to the process of modernization in Angola. Especially since April 2002, the country entering into the peaceful and reconstruction period, its economy grows at high speed under the promotion of the exploitation of petroleum, diamond and other minerals. It has created an economic miracle in the under-developed countries in Africa even in the world. The thesis main reviews the exploitation conditions of mineral resources in Angola. It chooses the process of economic modernization to be a clue, divides Angola history into three periods, that is, before the independence, during the civil war and the peaceful and reconstruction period. It clarifies the impacts of the development of mining industry on the Angolan economy and society in different periods, reveals the reasons that Angolan economy increases so rapidly during the peaceful period, and finally analyses the efforts and problems of economic modernization in Angola, then puts forward some suggestions. At last, the author emphasizes importance of the peaceful and stable environment to the process of modernization in Angola.The thesis contain three parts, they are preface, text and peroration. The text divides into three chapters. The first chapter reveals the slowly beginning of the modernization in Angola before the independence, analyses the main behavior of the first step prosperity and its main causes from 1961 to 1975. The mining industry brought an opportunity to the development of Angola. The natural resources advantage is the key factor that brings about Angolan prosperity. On the eve of independence, the mining industry gradually took the place of agriculture, occupied the ruling place in national economy. It has made a profound and lasting impact on the history of Angola, not only changed the construction of Angolan economy, but also stimulated the improvement of infrastructure facilities, sped up the process of industrialization and urbanization. Due to Portugal colonial policy, Angola shaped a deformity economic model, which much too depended on Portugal immigrants. Thus it had buried down some hidden-trouble for the development after independence.The second chapter main discusses the zigzag process of the economic modernization and the mining industry during the civil war. The 27 -year-long war brought about extremely large destructive power, caused the great majority economy departments baffled, and broke down the infrastructural facilities seriously. To some degree, the civil war had cut off the process of economic modernization. Rich mineral resources are just like a double-edged sword, have both positive and negative impacts, not only bring about an immense amount of treasure, but also the war disaster. On one hand, oil industry had saved the national economy from the verge of broken-down, and urged the civil war to be over as early as possible. On the other hand, the diamond income was the important fund source of the UNITA organization, whose leader is Jonas Savimbi, to maintain opposing-government fighting for a long time. It also induced American, USSR and other Great Power interference the civil war, then caused the complication and duration of the war. The Angolan government adjusted the policy actively, and the economic reforms being carried out from the end of 1980s has got certain effects. The Angolan government signed the Bicesse Accords in 1991 and the Lusaka Accords in 1994 with the UNITA organization. Both behaviors won temporary peace and some cease-fire period for Angola. Since the medium of 1990s, the non-oil departments have recovered gradually. The mining industry departments such as petroleum and diamond also keep prosperous. This situation established an important basis for the rapid recovery and development after the civil war.The third chapter discusses the establishment process of the modern industry system, whose pillar is petroleum and diamond industry in peaceful time. The text takes the Angola- America and Angola-China trade as two typical cases, to introduce the development of Angolan petroleum trade. Finally it sums up that the mineral resources have promoted the economic modernization obviously. During the peaceful period, the development of the mining industry is the key factor that leads to Angolan economy's rapid taking-off. Now Angola has wiped out the nightmare of the civil war, and walked up to the road of recovering, reconstructing and developing step by step. Great amount of foreign currency earnings and foreign direct investment which brought by mining industry such as petroleum and diamond has built up significance basis for the further development of the economic modernization. The stable internal atmosphere, rational economic policy and peaceful external environment all can provide important conditions for the rapid increase of Angolan economy.However, Angola is still confronted with a lot of problems, such as lagging of the industry development, irrationality of the economic structure, the big budgetary deficit and so on. There are so many tasks on the Angolan modernization road. It has a long way to go.