1. The overwhelming military strength of the Portuguese.

2. The support given to the Portuguese by Western powers

3. The formation and activities of the trivalent "gang of three".

4. The settler determination to retain Angola as a white man's country (an overseas

5. Portuguese province).

6. Restrictions of the free movements of Angolans.

7. The brutal Portuguese reactions to African peaceful demonstrations .

8. Military weakness of Angolans due to poor training and inadequate arms.

9. Ethnicism and disunity amongst the liberation groups .

10. Power struggles due to personal interests

11. Ideological differences.

12. Delay to form liberated zones.

13. The problem of illiteracy.

14. The Portuguese divide and rule policy.

15. The strong spying network of the Portuguese /PIDE

16. The poverty of Africans.

17. The weaknesses of the O.A.U and U.N.O. in handling Angolan grievances.

18. The Portuguese desire to maintain her myths of luso-tropicalism and her civilisation mission.