The American Age
The Congo, Decolonization, and the Cold War
1960–1965
The decolonization of Sub-Saharan Africa from the late 1950s to the mid-
1970s resulted in several proxy Cold War confrontations between the
United States and the Soviet Union over the dozens of newly independent,
non-aligned nations. The first such confrontation occurred in the former
Belgian Congo, which gained its independence on June 30, 1960.
Colonel Joseph Mobutu, September 14, 1960. (AP Photo)
In the months leading up to independence, the Congolese elected a
president, Joseph Kasavubu, prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, a senate and
assembly, and similar bodies in the Congo’s numerous provinces. The
Eisenhower administration had high hopes that the Republic of the Congo
would form a stable, pro-Western, central government. Those hopes
vanished in a matter of days as the newly independent nation descended
The Congo, Decolonization, and the Cold War
1960–1965
The decolonization of Sub-Saharan Africa from the late 1950s to the mid-
1970s resulted in several proxy Cold War confrontations between the
United States and the Soviet Union over the dozens of newly independent,
non-aligned nations. The first such confrontation occurred in the former
Belgian Congo, which gained its independence on June 30, 1960.
Colonel Joseph Mobutu, September 14, 1960. (AP Photo)
In the months leading up to independence, the Congolese elected a
president, Joseph Kasavubu, prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, a senate and
assembly, and similar bodies in the Congo’s numerous provinces. The
Eisenhower administration had high hopes that the Republic of the Congo
would form a stable, pro-Western, central government. Those hopes
vanished in a matter of days as the newly independent nation descended
