The Republic of the Congo, also known as Brazzaville (the name of its capital city), is located on the southeastern shores of the Congo River. It covers a surface area of 342,000 square kilometers (125,000 square miles) and has a population of 3 million people. It shares boundaries with several countries with which it has linguistic, ethnic, and colonial bonds. Congo became Africa's sole Marxist state as far back as 1968. In the conduct of its policies, however, the country has been more pragmatic than ideological.

Congo gained independence in 1960. Its first president, Abbe Fulbert Youlou (1917–1972), served for three years until a general strike brought to power a radical regime led by Alfonse Massamba-Debat (c. 1921–1977). In 1968 another military government, headed by Marien Ngouabi (1938–1977), came to power and the Congolese Workers Party was created, which served as the vanguard movement establishing the leftist orientation of the political...