Abstract
Czechoslovakia had long been one of the world’s leading exporters of weapons to the developing world. Through the sale of arms, Czechoslovakia was able to make a profit through the disposal of obsolete weapons, stimulate its industrial economy, and form closer political relations with the states that purchased its arms. Arms exports and military training were a gateway to increased influence in Third World states because they created a technical dependence on Czechoslovakia for training, spare parts, and ammunition. Military assistance was also often a precursor to greater trade relationships with recipient states. Therefore, Czechoslovak military aid played a significant role in the overall growth of Soviet bloc influence in Africa during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
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Notes
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See A. DeRoche (2007) “Non-alignment on the Racial Frontier: Zambia and the USA, 1964–1968” Cold War History, pp. 227–50.
Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda quoted in C. Legum (1966) Zambia, Independence and Beyond: The Speeches of Kenneth Kaunda (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons), p. 54.
For an account of Soviet assistance to the ANC see V. Shubin (2008) ANC: A View From Moscow (Sunnyside, South Africa: Jacana Media), especially Chapter 2.
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© 2016 Philip Muehlenbeck
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Muehlenbeck, P. (2016). Czechoslovak Arms Exports to Africa (1954–68). In: Czechoslovakia in Africa, 1945–1968. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56666-9_4
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