NILS SCHLIEHE West German Solidarity Movements and the Struggle for the Decolonization of Lusophone Africa The violent decolonization of Portugal’s colonial empire in Africa was not fought on the battlefelds of Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau alone. An important part of the African liberation movements’ struggle was the search for political and material support, which they received from independent African countries, socialist states and numerous non-state actors in the West. As part of a broader wave of internationalism, a solidarity movement in support of the liberation movements in Portugal’s African colonies emerged in West Germany as well. This was partially a response to the West German governments’ close cooperation with the Estado Novo regime (Salazar’s New State) in Lisbon. This article gives an overview of the development and participants of West Germany’s solidarity groups and their activities during the 1960s and early 1970s. Keywords: African liberation movements; decolonization; international solidarity; inter- nationalism; Portuguese Colonial War; West Germany. “Hence the positive outcome of this battle that we – European and African Portuguese alike – are fighting without spectacle or alliances, just proudly alone”. 1 That was how the Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar described the violent decolonization of Portugal’s colonial empire in Africa. But contrary to this famous quote, Lisbon’s war effort during the Guerra Colonial (Colonial War) depended heavily on the support of its Western allies. The same goes for their opponents – the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, who were supported by indepen- dent African nations, by socialist states and by non-state groups and activists from several Western countries. The armed struggle against Portuguese 1 António de Oliveira Salazar on 18 February 1965, cited in Torgal (1994: 82; translation by the author). Original quote: “Eis o ganho positivo desta batalha em que – os portugueses europeus e africanos – combatemos sem espectáculo e sem alianças, orgulhosamente sós”. Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais, 118, maio 2019: 173-194