Parts of Angola had been under considerable Portuguese influence for almost 400 years by the emerging of the 1960's. Angolans were now sick and tired of the exploitation that had taken place. Portugal had long been suffering under a lack of educated workers and an unstable economy, thus they had a system of obligatory work.

In 1959, as several African states won their independence, anti-colonialism also intensified in Portugal's colonial empire. Mozambique as well as Angola now experienced a major increase in the support for these movements. By December that year, Portugal had to take action and PIDE (The International Police for Defence of the State) arrested 57 people suspected of illegal anti-colonial activity were arrested in Luanda alone. Among the arrested were whites as well as native Angolans.

This, of course, did not improve conditions and the Portuguese military grew steadily more repressive. Tensions grew and came to a climax in 1961 as a group of MPLA members attacked police stations and prisons to free political prisoners. Only days after, African workers in Malanje attacked government buildings and churches. Scared what the rebels would attack next, wealthy Portuguese settlers soon left, leaving only poorer whites behind. These were not prepared to leave Angola in any way and they would fight for their right to stay. As the Africans raided the country, killing hundreds of Europeans, the Europeans were defending themselves in the same manner, killing tens of thousands of Africans. Not only the military would use weapons to ward off uprisings, they would be joined by civilians.

These uprisings could not last long, and they ended later that same year, with 400 dead Europeans and an estimated 40,000 dead Africans. Most of these were Bakongo, as the Bakongo were the most prominent in these protests. Portugal had depended on air raids to defeat the Africans, explaining the high loss of human lives.

The rest of the early 1960's was spent trying to regain the comfort of the Africans. Portugal dramatically increased their spending in the colony. The paved road network was increased by 500% in only a few years, domestic air traffic was encouraged, new and more favourable laws for the Africans were made, including the end of obligatory work, and even the military was campaigning to increase its popularity. Still, the Africans were not satisfied, it was not independence. Neither was the UN who produced a report greatly unfavourable to Portuguese colonialism.