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Ethiopia- Overthrow of Haile Selassie- Sept.1974
In 1974, Haile Selassie, the leader of Ethiopia since 1930, was deposed in a military coup. Ethiopia’s new rulers set up a Marxist regime, executed thousands of their political opponents, and aligned themselves with the Soviet Union. -
Guinea Bissau - Independence from Portugal - Sept. 1974
Guinea-Bissau formally attained its independence from Portugal on September 9, 1974. Some 15,000 individuals, including some 2,000 Portuguese government soldiers, were killed during the conflict. Some 56,000 individuals were displaced during the conflict. -
Laos - Pathet Lao takes over state - May 1975
In 1975, the Pathet Lao firmly took over the government, abolishing the monarchy and establishing the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Shortly thereafter, the Pathet Lao signed an agreement with Vietnam that allowed Vietnam to station part of its army in the country and to send political and economic advisors into Laos. Vietnam afterward forced Laos to cut any remaining economic ties to its other neighbours, including Thailand and Cambodia. -
Cambodia - Khmer Rouge takes Phnom Penh - April 1975
On April 1975, Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh victorious. Many city residents turned out to welcome the Communist soldiers, hoping that peace would now return after five years of bloodletting. However, the conquerors began to reveal their true intent almost immediately. Within hours, they started implementing their radical plan to transform Cambodia into a rural society where all individuals would be harnessed in service of the state. -
Vietnam - North Vietnam/‘Viet Cong’ take Saigon - April 1975
The South Vietnamese forces had collapsed under the rapid advancement of the North Vietnamese. The most recent fighting had begun in December 1974, when the North Vietnamese had launched a major attack against the lightly defended province of Phuoc Long. Despite previous presidential promises to provide aid in such a scenario, the United States did nothing. -
Angola - Independence from Portugal - Nov.1975
Portugal granted Angola independence on November 11, 1975, at a time when multiple Angolan nationalist forces were fighting among themselves to establish control over the newly liberated state. -
Cape Verde - Independence from Portugal - June 1975
Full independence was achieved in Cabo Verde on July 5, 1975. Aristides Pereira, the PAIGC secretary-general, and Pedro Pires, a military commander, became the first president and prime minister, respectively. -
Mozambique - Independence from Portugal - June 1975
After a prolonged liberation struggle against Portuguese colonial rulers, Mozambique became independent as People's Republic of Mozambique. Mozambique was colonised by the Portuguese since 16 th century. The campaign for the liberation, which was launched in 1962, was spearheaded by the Liberation Front of Mozambique (FRELIMO) -
São Tomé - Independence from Portugal - June 1975
São Tomé and Príncipe islands were a colony of the Portuguese Empire from its discovery in 1470 until 1975, when independence was granted by Portugal. -
Afghanistan - Military coup - April 1978
Afghanistan experienced its second military coup d’état within five years. The authoritarian President Muhammad Daud had seized power in 1973 without much attention abroad and even little notice in Afghanistan. It was the second coup, April 1978, that changed Afghanistan forever. The ‘Saur (April) Revolution’ toppled Daud and killed most of his family. -
Grenada - New Jewel Movement takes power - March 1979
New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop. The movement took control of the country with a successful bloodless revolution in 1979 and ruled by decree as the People's Revolutionary Government until 1983. -
Iran - Ayatollah Khomeini installed in power - Feb. 1979
On February 1, 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran in triumph after 15 years of exile. The shah and his family had fled the country two weeks before, and jubilant Iranian revolutionaries were eager to establish a fundamentalist Islamic government under Khomeini’s leadership. -
Nicaragua - Sandinistas take Managua - July 1979
Fighters of the left-wing Sandinista National Liberation Front have overthrown the regime in the Central American Republic of Nicaragua and taken the capital, Managua. -
Zimbabwe - Independence from Britain - April 1980
Zimbabwe attained its independence after more than 10 years of armed struggle. On 18 April 1980, Zimbabwe gained its independence. Celebrations followed on the nights of 17 to 18 April 1980. Bob Marley & the Wailers was just one of the musical acts and among the songs they performed was Zimbabwe