Rhodesia
From Freepedia
- This article is about the former British colony of (Southern) Rhodesia, today Zimbabwe. See Rhodesia (disambiguation).
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| National motto: Sit Nomine Digna (Latin: May she be worthy of the name} | |||||
| Image:LocationZimbabwe.png | |||||
| Official language | English. | ||||
| Capital | Salisbury | ||||
| Political system | Parliamentary system | ||||
| Form of government | Republic | ||||
| - Last President | John Wrathall | ||||
| - Prime Minister | Ian Smith | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | 390,580 km² 1% | ||||
| Population - 1978 est. - Density | 6,930,000 17.74/km² | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | $3.15 billion US (1974 est.) | ||||
| Independence - Declared - Republic Declared - Became Zimbabwe-Rhodesia | From British rule November 11, 1965 March 2, 1970 June 1, 1979 | ||||
| Currency | Rhodesian Dollar (R) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC+2 | ||||
| National anthem | Rise O Voices of Rhodesia (from 1974) | ||||
| Calling code | +263 | ||||
Rhodesia is the former name of the British colony of Southern Rhodesia in southern Africa, which was governed by a white minority until 1979. The colony was named after Cecil Rhodes, whose British South Africa Company acquired the land by force in the nineteenth century. The colony gained legal independence from Britain in 1980 and became the Republic of Zimbabwe. At an earlier period, the name "Rhodesia" was used to refer to a larger region that corresponds to both Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) and Zambia (Northern Rhodesia).
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History
1953-1965
In 1953, with calls for independence mounting in many of its African possessions, the United Kingdom created the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which consisted of the current nations of Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi which at the time were called Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland respectively.
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved on January 1, 1964 upon the independence of Malawi and Zambia. When Northern Rhodesia was granted independence by Britain in 1964, it changed its name to Zambia. Southern Rhodesia remained a British colony and came to be known simply as Rhodesia.
UDI
In its central and southern African colonies, the British government adopted a policy known as NIBMAR (No Independence Before Majority African Rule). This policy dictated that those colonies with a substantial white settler population would not receive independence except under conditions of universal suffrage and majority rule. This policy was opposed by the white minority Rhodesian Front (RF) government, led by Ian Smith. On November 11, 1965, Smith's government declared the country independent from British government rule, in what became known as the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia) (UDI).
UDI was internationally condemned and, at the behest of Britain, Rhodesia was placed under the first United Nations Security Council authorised sanctions, beginning in 1965 up until its independence as Zimbabwe in 1980.
Initially, the state maintained its loyalty to Queen Elizabeth II as 'Queen of Rhodesia' (a title to which she never consented) but not to her representative, the Governor Sir Humphrey Gibbs, whose constitutional duties were exercised by an 'Officer Administering the Government', Clifford Dupont. On March 2, 1970, Smith's government formally severed links with the British Crown, and Rhodesia was declared a republic, with Dupont as President.
The Second Chimurenga (Bush War)
A lengthy armed campaign by ZANLA (the military wing of ZANU (the Zimbabwe African National Union)) and ZIPRA (the military wing of ZAPU (the Zimbabwe African People's Union)) against the Smith government followed UDI. This became known as the "Bush War" by the whites of Rhodesia and as "The Second Chimurenga" (or, "rebellion" in Shona) by supporters of the guerrillas. ZANU was, at that time, an African nationalist liberation movement, influenced and financed by China and North Korea, which was led by Robert Mugabe. ZAPU was also an African nationalist liberation movement, influenced and financed by the USSR, which was led by Joshua Nkomo. Both parties demonstrated broadly Marxist views, but were primarily African nationalist in nature, with their main objective being the end of white minority rule rather than the transformation of society.
The Rhodesian government controlled the guerrilla campaign with some success until the end of colonial rule in Mozambique in 1975. At that time ZANU's alliance with FRELIMO and the porous borders between Mozambique and eastern Rhodesia enabled large-scale training and infiltration of ZANU/ZANLA supporters, and the politicisation of Rhodesia's rural population.
The Rhodesian government faced a serious economic struggle during the 1970s as a result of sanctions, emigration, and the strain imposed on the economic system by conscription of all white men (and, in the late 1970s, Asian and Coloured (mixed race) men as well). It also faced loss of support from South Africa, its main trading partner, which, while sympathetic to the white minority government, did not accord it diplomatic recognition. In 1976 the South African and US governments combined to place pressure on Smith to agree to a form of majority rule.
As a result of internal settlement or agreement between the Rhodesian government and moderate and peaceful African nationalist parties, which were not in exile and therefore not involved in the war, elections were held in April 1979, in which the UANC (United African National Council) party won a majority, and its leader, Abel Muzorewa, a United Methodist Church bishop, became the country's prime minister on June 1, 1979. The country's name was changed to Zimbabwe Rhodesia.
While the 1979 elections were described by the Rhodesian government as non-racial and democratic, they did not include ZANU and ZAPU, which remained banned in Rhodesia. Bishop Muzorewa's government did not receive international recognition, and the international community recognised that a successful resolution of the war in Rhodesia had to include ZANU and ZAPU, since as a result of their exclusion, armed conflict between these groups and Smith's government continued unabated. The British Government (then led by the recently elected Margaret Thatcher) issued invitations to all parties to attend a peace conference at Lancaster House in London in late 1979.
Independence
Under the terms of the Lancaster House Agreement, Britain resumed control for a brief time in 1979 and then granted independence to Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1980, following the first all-party multi-racial elections, which were won by Robert Mugabe and ZANU. On April 18th, 1980, the country became independent as the Republic of Zimbabwe, and its capital, Salisbury, was renamed Harare two years later.
Politics
At the time of UDI, Rhodesia's Constitution provided for a Governor, appointed by the Queen, with political power residing with the unicameral Legislative Assembly, in which 50 out of 65 seats were reserved for whites. There were two separate voters' rolls, for whites and blacks, with the franchise for the latter being limited to tribal chiefs and those who met property qualifications.
The RF government drafted a new constitution, which further entrenched white minority rule, and made the country a republic, following a whites-only referendum result in favour in 1968.
Under the 1969 Constitution, there was a bicameral Parliament consisting of an indirectly elected Senate, and a directly elected House of Assembly, in which the majority of seats were once again reserved for whites. The office of President was a ceremonial post, with executive power remaining with the Prime Minister, Ian Smith.
See also
- British South Africa Police
- Flag of Rhodesia
- President of Rhodesia
- Prime Minister of Rhodesia
- Rhodesian Light Infantry
- Second Chimurenga
- Whites in Zimbabwe
- ZANLA
- Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe Rhodesia
- ZIPRA
