Which African country achieved independence in 1980 as Zimbabwe after a guerrilla war against white-minority rule?

• A. Zimbabwe
• B. Zambia
• C. Mozambique
• D. South Africa

Answer: (A)

The question tests understanding of decolonization in southern Africa through armed struggle and the resulting name change and statehood. Rhodesia, under white-minority rule, faced a long guerrilla war waged by ZANLA and ZIPRA that pressed for majority rule. After international pressure and negotiations, the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979 led to elections and a transition of power in 1980, with the country officially becoming Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe rising to leadership. That sequence—armed struggle ending in 1980 with independence and a new name—is why Zimbabwe is the correct answer. Mozambique fought a separate anti-colonial war against Portugal and gained independence in 1975, Zambia had already become independent earlier, and South Africa’s path to majority rule culminated later in the 1990s, not in 1980.