the UNITA was getting hardly any support from outside the country, the Marxist MPLA developed very close relations with Moscow and was soon to start receiving significant shipments of arms via Tanzania and Zambia. In 1969 the MPLA agreed with the USSR that in exchange for arms and supplies delivered to it the Soviets would—upon independence—be granted rights for establishing military bases in the country. Consequently, by the early 1970s, the MPLA developed into the strongest Angolan anti-colonial movement and the most powerful political party. Aftermath As soon as the agreement between the MPLA and Portugal for the transfer of power became known to the public, a mass exodus began. Over 300,000 people left Angola by November, most of them evacuated aboard TAP Boeing 707 aircraft. The British Royal Air Force also lent a hand, sending Vickers VC10 airliners to evacuate about 6,000 additional refugees. At this stage, the Angolan Civil War had started and spread out across the newly independent country. The devastating civil war lasted several decades and claimed a million lives and refugees in independent Angola. In the wake of the conflict, Angola faced deterioration in central planning, economic development and growth, security, education and health system issues. Like the other newly independent African territories involved in the Portuguese Colonial War, Angola's rank in the human development and GDP per capita world tables fell. After independence, economic and social recession, corruption, poverty, inequality and failed central planning eroded the initial post-independence expectations. A level of economic development comparable to what had existed under Portuguese rule became a major goal for the governments of the independent territory. The sharp recession and the chaos in many areas of Angolan life eroded the initial impetus of nationalistic fervor. There were also eruptions of black racism in the former overseas province against white and mulatto Angolans. See also Portuguese Colonial War Portuguese West Africa Cuba in Angola References External links Guerra Colonial: 1961–1974 – State-supported historical site of the Portuguese Colonial War (Portugal) OnWar timeline U.S. Involvement in Angolan Conflict from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archive Portuguese Angola Angolan • Wars of independence 1960s conflicts 1970s conflicts War of Independence Guerrilla wars Separatism in Angola Separatism in Portugal 1960s in Angola 1970s in Angola Wars involving Angola Wars involving Cuba Wars involving Portugal Wars involving South Africa Wars involving the states and peoples of Africa Angola–Portugal relations Angola–South