'The colossal lie': The Sociedade Agricola do Cassequel and Portuguese colonial labor policy in Angola, 1899--1977

This dissertation argues that Portuguese colonial rule in Angola provided coerced labor to Angola's largest sugar plantation, the Sociedade Agrícola do Cassequel in Catumbela. The state's role as furnisher of labor ensured that Cassequel produced profits for its primarily Portuguese stockholders, including the powerful Espírito Santo family. The study thus shows the close relationship between the colonial state and Portuguese capitalists. Cassequel embodied both the nationalist agenda pursued by successive Portuguese governments, and most assiduously by the Estado Novo, and created wealth for the Portuguese elite. When the colonial state and the board of directors of Cassequel decided to reform colonial labor policy, they did so in order to stem the criticism emanating from Western powers and in response to nationalist pressure. On the ground at Cassequel the reforms of the late colonial period, roughly 1950–1974, resulted in significant improvement in the lived experience of contracted and voluntary workers.;The dissertation ends with an examination of memory and the events between the overthrow of fascism in Portugal in 1974 and the nationalization of Cassequel in 1976. Angola experienced a difficult independence due to Portugal's inability to maintain order during the transition, the unwillingness of rival nationalist leaders to compromise, and the intervention of Cold War rivals. People with different perspectives on colonialism, independence, and the Cold War, shared memories that often contradicted one another. By considering these memories, this dissertation creates a shared narrative.