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Hello gents!
Time for another round of intellectual discussion/Timeline Idea contribution!

So, here it is: In The Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974), the Fascist Portuguese Republic under Salazar fought a hard war against te African Independence Movement( MPLA, UNITA, FNLA, PAIGC, FRELIMO) who were supported by the USA, USSR, People's Republic of China, and their various Satellite States (Including Cuba in a major role). Assisting Portugal were the crack military forces of the Republics of South Africa and Rhodesia.

Here's some basic intel for you:
  • Portugal had a powerful colonial presence due to the head start that it had compared to the other colonial powers.
  • Salazar, while a Fascist dictator, viewed his people in a largely paternal sense and wished for a 'multiethnic state'.
  • Because of this view, the native inhabitants of the Portuguese Colonies in Africa shared equal rights under thelaw with their white counterparts.
  • The local population of the colonies were pretty well educated, with a relatively large number of colleges and universities.
  • The Portuguese Military, while poor in performance and morale at the war's beginning proved totally successful in every colony except guinea.
So, one might ask, why did the Portuguese lose?
Here's why:

  • The US, PRC, and Soviets provided heavy amounts of supplies and soldiers to the Independence Movement (weapons in particular).
  • While the Independence Movement troops' US and Soviet supplied tanks were largely ineffective in the African landscape, the RPG caused massive problems for the Portuguese.
  • The Portuguese were seen as Fascist relics from WWII, and were criticized for not picking a side in the Cold War (Like South Africa and Rhodesia).
  • MOST IMPORTANTLY-In 1974 the Soviet Union was able to raise a Coup in Lison against Salazar in Lisbon, leading to a radically liberal government taking power and removing its claim on the colonies.
So, the question is, what if the Soviet coup was unsuccessful in 1974 and only led to the independence of Guinea Bassau (where they largely lost the war)? In the future the Portutguese could have reestablished the 'pink land', their goal of owning everything from Angola to Mozambique. If so, they could have played a large role in assissting their ally Rhodesia in its war against Robert Mugabe, probably resulting in a victory for Rhodesia.

So, what would the result be of a power bloc in southern Africa consisting of Portugal, Rhodesia, and South Africa? Portugal was a member of NATO, so neither the USSR, PRC, or USA could declare war on them without causing the old Cold War ClussterF**k.

What do you think the implications of this would be?

P.S. I'm writing TL on this, so offer any suggestions!

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