ABSTRACT
Throughout Karl Marx's writing, the political struggle takes on prime importance in the revolutionary transition in destroying the old relations of production and setting up the new. Maurice Zeitlin has emphasised the importance of the state in the transition: 'In every historical transition between modes of production, the effective deployment of state power is critical, but in none more than revolutionary transformations.' The transformation of the social relations is far from complete, and that struggle continues in Mozambique. These internal changes provided a base from which to support Zimbabwean independence. The 'civil war' in Angola raised the same questions as the Zimbabwean independence struggle. Angola's direct support of the Zimbabwean struggle was mainly ideological. Its defeat of the South African army gave important encouragement to the Zimbabwean nationalists in their struggle against white minority rule. Angola sustained its Frontline role and increased its relative state autonomy when Zambia and Mozambique were the border states most involved in the Zimbabwean conflict.
