Editing History of Zambia (section)

==Independence==
[[Image:Zambia Ind000.jpg|thumb|right|A book published by the government upon independence]]

At independence, despite its considerable mineral wealth, Zambia faced major challenges. Domestically, there were few trained and educated Zambians capable of running the government,<ref>There were only eight indigenous Graduates in the country at Independence</ref> and the economy was largely dependent on foreign expertise. Most of Zambia's neighbouring countries were still [[colony|colonies]] or under white [[minority rule]].

The [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) won the [[Northern Rhodesian general election, 1964|pre-independence elections]], gaining 55 of the 75 seats. The [[Zambian African National Congress]] won 10 seats, and the [[National Progressive Party (Zambia)|National Progressive Party]] won all the 10 seats reserved for whites.<ref name="elections">{{cite web
| url = http://africanelections.tripod.com/zm.html
| title = Elections in Zambia
| publisher = African Elections Database
| access-date = 2006-10-11
}}</ref> [[Kenneth Kaunda]] was elected [[Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia|Prime Minister]], and later the same year president, as the country adopted a presidential system.

Kaunda adopted an [[ideology]] of [[African socialism]], close to that of [[Julius Nyerere]] in [[Tanzania]]. Economical policies focused on [[central planning]] and [[nationalisation]], and a system of [[one party rule]] was put in place.

===Towards one-party rule===
In 1968 Kaunda was [[Zambian general election, 1968|re-elected as president]]. During the following years, Zambia adopted a one party system. In 1972 all political parties except UNIP were banned, and this was formalized in a new constitution that was adopted in 1973. The constitution framed a system called "one-party participatory democracy", which in practice, meant that UNIP became the sole political factor in the country. It provided for a strong [[President of Zambia|president]] and a [[unicameral]] [[National Assembly of Zambia|National Assembly]]. National policy was formulated by the Central Committee of UNIP. The cabinet executed the central committee's policy. In legislative elections, only candidates running for UNIP were allowed to participate. Even though inter-party competition was out of question, the contest for seats within UNIP was energetic. In the presidential elections, the only candidate allowed to run was the one elected as president of UNIP at the party's general conference. In this way Kaunda was re-elected unopposed with a yes or no vote in [[Zambian general election, 1973|1973]], [[Zambian general election, 1978|1978]], [[Zambian general election, 1983|1983]] and [[Zambian general election, 1988|1988]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1973-12-07 |title=Kaunda, Unopposed, Re-elected Zambian President for 3d Term |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/07/archives/kaunda-unopposed-reelected-zambian-president-for-3d-term-antikaunda.html |access-date=2022-05-29 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:Chisembele, S.M..jpg|thumb|right|S.M Chisembele, Cabinet Minister, Western Province]]
This did not, however, mean that there was no dissension to the imposition of a one-party rule in the country or within UNIP. [[Sylvester Mwamba Chisembele]] who was Cabinet Minister for Western Province (previously Barotse Province) together with UNIP leaders from 7 out of the 8 Provinces established a Committee of 14. The objective of the Committee of 14 which consisted two leaders from each of the 7 provinces was the establishment of a democratically elected council of two leaders from each province to rule the country by consensus with the President as Head of State. If this had been achieved, it would have meant the curtailing of the absolute power residing in President Kaunda. The Committee of 14 attended a meeting in State House at which President Kaunda agreed to consider their proposals. However, later he banned the Committee of 14 and this action was followed by the suspension of Sylvester Chisembele and several leaders were sacked.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Zambia Daily Mail|date=21 April 1971}}</ref> Chisembele later rejoined the Cabinet as Minister for Eastern Province and two years later in 1977 he was transferred in the same position to the Copperbelt Province, where the political situation was tense, especially so because of the forthcoming General Elections. Simon M. Kapwepwe and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, who, before the declaration of a One Party State, had been leaders of the UPP and ANC political parties respectively, had joined UNIP with the intention of challenging for the Presidency. However, their attempt to challenge President Kaunda for the Presidency on the UNIP ticket failed as both were prevented and disqualified by the manipulations of President Kaunda, who stood unopposed. Simon Kapwepwe and Harry Nkumbula challenged the resultant 1978 election of President Kaunda in the High Court, but unsurprisingly their action was unsuccessful.

===Economy and the copper crisis===
After independence, Zambia adopted a [[Left (politics)|left]]-wing economic policy. The economy was, to some extent, run by central planning under five year plans. Private companies were [[nationalised]] and incorporated into large state-owned conglomerates. The government's goal was to be self-sufficient, which it sought to achieve through [[import substitution]]. At first, the plan worked and the economy grew steadily. However, in the mid-1970s, the economy started to decline drastically. During the period between 1975 and 1990 Zambia's economy dropped by approximately 30%.<ref name="EconomyDrop">{{cite web
| url = http://www.bized.co.uk/virtual/dc/back/econ.htm
| title = Zambia - Economic History
| publisher = Biz/ed
| access-date = 2006-10-11
}}</ref>

To deal with the crisis, Zambia took big loans from the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[Worldbank]] hoping that copper prices would rise again soon, instead of issuing structural reforms.

===Foreign policy===
Internationally, Zambia's sympathies lay with forces opposing colonial or white-dominated rule. During the next decade, it actively [[Zambia and Regional Diplomacy|supported movements]] such as the National Unions for the Total Independence of Angola ([[UNITA]]) under the independence war and under the subsequent [[Angolan civil war|civil war]], the [[Zimbabwe African People's Union]] (ZAPU) in [[Southern Rhodesia]], and the [[African National Congress]] (ANC) in their struggle against [[apartheid]] in [[South African Republic|the Republic of South Africa]], and the South-West Africa People's Organization ([[SWAPO]]) in their struggle for independence for [[Namibia]]. Zambia also hosted some of the movements. For instance, the ANC exile headquarters were in Lusaka, and ZAPU had a military base in Zambia.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Macmillan|first=Hugh|date=2009|title=The African National Congress of South Africa in Zambia: The Culture of Exile and the Changing Relationship with Home, 1964-1990|journal=Journal of Southern African Studies|volume=35|issue=2|pages=303–329|doi=10.1080/03057070902919876|jstor=40283235|s2cid=144264448|issn=0305-7070}}</ref> This resulted in security problems, as the South Africa and South Rhodesia raided targets inside Zambia on several occasions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zambia (01/09)|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2359.htm|last=Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information|first=Bureau of Public Affairs|date=2005-04-26|website=2001-2009.state.gov|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>

[[Rhodesian Bush War|Rhodesian counterinsurgency operations]] extended into Zambia after [[Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army]] (ZIPRA) rebels shot down two unarmed [[Vickers Viscount]] civilian airliners ([[Air Rhodesia Flight 825]] on 3 September 1978 and [[Air Rhodesia Flight 827]] on 12 February 1979) with Soviet-supplied [[SA-7 Grail|SA-7]] heat-seeking missiles. In retaliation for the shooting down of Flight 825 in September 1978, the [[Rhodesian Air Force]] attacked the ZIPRA guerrilla base at Westlands farm near Lusaka in October 1978, warning Zambian forces by radio not to interfere.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Rhodesian War: A Military History |last1=Moorcraft |first1=Paul L. |author-link1=Paul Moorcraft |last2=McLaughlin |first2=Peter |author-link2=Peter McLaughlin |date=2008 |orig-year=1982 |location=Barnsley |publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books]] |isbn=978-1-84415-694-8 |pages=140–143}}</ref>

Conflicts with Rhodesia resulted in the closing of Zambia's borders with that country and severe problems with international transport and power supply. However, the [[Kariba Dam|Kariba]] [[hydroelectric]] station on the [[Zambezi River]] provided sufficient capacity to satisfy the country's requirements for electricity. [[TAZARA]], a railway to the Tanzanian port of [[Dar es Salaam]], built with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on the railway line south to South Africa and west through an increasingly war-ravaged Angola.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Republic of Zambia|url=https://www.szi.gov.zm/epamodzi/?page_id=4561|website=Republic of Zambia e-Pamodzi portal|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=2019-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513104943/http://www.szi.gov.zm/epamodzi/?page_id=4561|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Civil strife in neighbouring [[Mozambique]] and Angola created large numbers of refugees, many of whom fled to Zambia.

Internationally, Zambia was an active member of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] (NAM), and hosted a summit in Lusaka in 1970. Kenneth Kaunda served as the movements chairman 1970–1973. Among the NAM countries Zambia was especially close to [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. Outside the NAM Zambia also had close relations with the [[People's Republic of China]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=RESOLUTIONSOF THETHIRD CONFERENCE OF NON-ALIGNED STATES With Selected Conference Statements and Comments|url=https://media.africaportal.org/documents/SAIIA_RESOLUTIONS_OF_THE_THIRD_CONFERENCE_OF_NON-ALIGNED_STATES.pdf|date=1970|website=Africaportal.org|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=2022-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401121552/https://media.africaportal.org/documents/SAIIA_RESOLUTIONS_OF_THE_THIRD_CONFERENCE_OF_NON-ALIGNED_STATES.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the [[Second Congo War]], Zambia backed Zimbabwe and the Congo but did not participate as a belligerent.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}