Rhodesia: Difference between revisions

* 6.49% [[White Zimbabweans|White]]

'''Rhodesia''' ({{IPAc-en|r|əʊ|ˈ|d|iː|ʒ|ə||audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Rhodesia.wav}} {{respell|roh|DEE|zhə}}, {{IPAc-en|r|əʊ|ˈ|d|iː|ʃ|ə|}} {{respell|roh|DEE|shə}};<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pz2ORay2HWoC&pg=PA1416|title=The Chambers Dictionary|last=Chambers|first=Allied|date=1998|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-86062-25-8|page=1416}}</ref> {{lang-sn|Rodizha}}), officially from 1970 the '''Republic of Rhodesia''',<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=yX1CAQAAIAAJ&q=%22the+Republic+of+Rhodesia%22 ''Votes and Proceedings of the Senate''], Volume 12, Parliament of Rhodesia, 1970, page 2</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/sub-saharan-africa-region/rhodesia-zimbabwe-1964-present/|title=46. Rhodesia/Zimbabwe (1964-present)|website=uca.edu}}</ref> was an [[List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies|unrecognised state]] in [[Southern Africa]] from 1965 to 1979. During this fourteen -year period, Rhodesia served as the ''[[de facto]]'' [[Succession of states|successor state]] to the [[Crown colony|British colony]] of [[Southern Rhodesia]], and in 1980 it became modern day [[Zimbabwe]].

Southern Rhodesia had been [[Self-governing colony|self-governing]] since achieving [[responsible government]] in 1923. A [[Landlocked country|landlocked]] nation, Rhodesia was bordered by [[Botswana]] ([[Bechuanaland Protectorate|Bechuanaland]]: British protectorate until 1966) to the southwest, [[People's Republic of Mozambique|Mozambique]] ([[Portuguese Mozambique|Portuguese province]] until 1975) to the east, [[Apartheid|South Africa]] to the south, and [[Zambia]] to the northwest. From 1965 to 1979, Rhodesia was one of two independent states on the African continent governed by a [[White Zimbabweans|white minority of European descent and culture]], the other being [[South Africa]].

Following the declaration of independence in 1965,<ref>{{Cite web |last=History |first=Elizabeth Schmidt / Made by |date=2023-10-30 |title=A Lesson From the History of Rhodesia |url=https://time.com/6324696/rhodesia-minority-rule/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=TIME |language=en}}</ref> the [[United Nations Security Council]] passed a resolution that called upon all states not to grant recognition to Rhodesia. Two [[African nationalism|African nationalist]] parties, the [[Zimbabwe African People's Union]] (ZAPU) and [[Zimbabwe African National Union]] (ZANU), launched an armed insurgency against the government upon UDI, sparking the [[Rhodesian Bush War]]. Growing war weariness, diplomatic pressure, and an extensive trade embargo imposed by the [[United Nations]] prompted Rhodesian prime minister [[Ian Smith]] to [[Internal Settlement|concede to majority rule]] in 1978. However, [[1979 Rhodesian general election|elections]] and a multiracial [[Zimbabwe Rhodesia|provisional government]], with Smith succeeded by moderate [[Abel Muzorewa]], failed to appease international critics or halt the war. By December 1979 Muzorewa had secured an [[Lancaster House Agreement|agreement]] with ZAPU and ZANU, allowing Rhodesia to briefly revert to colonial status pending [[1980 Southern Rhodesian general election|new elections]] under British supervision. ZANU secured an electoral victory in 1980, and the country achieved internationally recognised independence in April 1980 as [[Zimbabwe]].

Rhodesia's largest cities were [[Harare|Salisbury]] (its capital city, now known as Harare) and [[Bulawayo]]. Prior to 1970, the unicameral [[Legislative Assembly of Rhodesia|Legislative Assembly]] was predominantly white, with a small number of seats reserved for black representatives. Following the declaration of a republic in 1970, this was replaced by a bicameral [[Parliament of Rhodesia|Parliament]], with a [[House of Assembly (Zimbabwe)|House of Assembly]] and a [[Senate of Zimbabwe|Senate]]. The bicameral system was retained in Zimbabwe after 1980. Aside from its [[Politics of Rhodesia#1961 constitution|racial franchise]], Rhodesia observed a fairly conventional [[Westminster system]] inherited from the United Kingdom, with a [[President of Rhodesia|President]] acting as ceremonial head of state, while a [[Prime Minister of Rhodesia|Prime Minister]] headed the [[Cabinet of Rhodesia|Cabinet]] as head of government.

Although prepared to grant formal independence to Southern Rhodesia (now Rhodesia), the [[British government]] had adopted a policy of ''[[no independence before majority rule]]'' (NIBMR), dictating that colonies with a significant, politically active population of European settlers would not receive independence except under conditions of [[majority rule]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=173&regionSelect=2-Southern_Africa |title=Database – Uppsala Conflict Data Program |publisher=UCDP |access-date=9 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603091825/http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=173&regionSelect=2-Southern_Africa |archive-date=3 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rhodesia.nl/tiger.htm |title=On Board the Tiger |publisher=Rhodesia.nl |date=9 October 1968 |access-date=9 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012003742/http://www.rhodesia.nl/tiger.htm |archive-date=12 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.psywarrior.com/RhodesiaPSYOP.html |title=RHODESIA PSYOP 1965 |publisher=Psywarrior.com |access-date=9 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002024639/http://www.psywarrior.com/RhodesiaPSYOP.html |archive-date=2 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> White Rhodesians balked at the premise of NIBMR; many felt they had a right to absolute political control, at least for the time being, despite their relatively small numbers.<ref name="weitzer1990"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zimembassy.se/history.html |title=A brief history of Zimbabwe |publisher=Zimembassy.se |date=18 April 1980 |access-date=9 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823010147/http://www.zimembassy.se/history.html |archive-date=23 August 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They were also disturbed by the chaos of the post-colonial political transitions occurring in other African nations at the time, such as the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].<ref name="SmithGB">{{cite book|author= Smith, Ian|title=The Great Betrayal|pages=74–256|publisher= Blake Publishing Ltd.|location=London|year=1997|isbn= 1-85782-176-9}}</ref><ref name="Spikes">{{cite book|title=Angola and the Politics of Intervention: From Local Bush War to Chronic Crisis in Southern Africa|last=Spikes|first=Daniel|year=1993|location=Jefferson|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0899508887|pages=52-5352–53}}</ref> A vocal segment of the white populace was open to the concept of gradually incorporating black Rhodesians into civil society and a more integrated political structure in theory, although not without qualification and equivocation.<ref name=West>{{cite book|last=West|first=Michael|title=The Rise of an African Middle Class: Colonial Zimbabwe, 1898-1965|date=August 2002|pages=192–193|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|isbn=0-253-34085-3}}</ref> A greater degree of social and political equality, they argued, was acceptable once more black citizens had obtained higher educational and vocational standards.<ref name=West/> The second faction in the white community was wholly unwilling to concede the principle, much less the practice, of equality to the black population.<ref name=West/> Both groups remained opposed to majority rule in the near future.<ref name=West/> However, once Rhodesia had been introduced as a topic for discussion in international bodies, extension of the status quo became a matter of concern to the British government, which perceived the scrutiny as a serious embarrassment to the United Kingdom.<ref name="areahandbook"/>

The Lancaster House Agreement further provided for a ceasefire which was followed by an internationally supervised general election, held onin [[Southern Rhodesian general election, 1980|February 1980]]. ZANU led by [[Robert Mugabe]] won this election, some alleged,{{who|date=March 2017}} by terrorising its political opposition, including supporters of ZAPU, through former insurgents that had not confined themselves to the designated guerrilla assembly points, as stipulated by the Lancaster House Agreement. The observers and Soames were accused of looking the other way, and Mugabe's victory was certified. Nevertheless, few could doubt that Mugabe's support within his majority Shona tribal group was extremely strong. The Rhodesian military seriously considered mounting a coup against a perceived stolen election ("Operation Quartz") to prevent ZANU from taking over the country.<ref>{{cite web|first=R.|last=Allport|title=Operation Quartz – Rhodesia 1980|url=http://www.memoriesofrhodesia.com/media/documents/Op-Quartz.pdf|website=memoriesofrhodesia.com|access-date=5 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101171326/http://www.memoriesofrhodesia.com/media/documents/Op-Quartz.pdf|archive-date=1 January 2011|url-status=live }}</ref> The alleged coup was to include the assassination of Mugabe and coordinated assaults on guerrilla assembly points throughout the country. The plan was eventually scuttled, as it was obvious that Mugabe enjoyed widespread support from the black majority despite voter intimidation, as well as the fact that the coup would gain no external support, and a conflagration which would engulf the country was seen as inevitable.

Following [[Cecil Rhodes]]'s dictum of "equal rights for all civilised men", there was an implicit, albeit not an no overt, racial component to the franchise, which effectively excluded a majority of native black people from the electorate via such means as [[property qualification]]s.<ref>{{cite web | title=Voting Requirements Raised | website=The New York Times | date=1964-09-12 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/12/archives/voting-requirements-raised.html | access-date=2024-06-04}}</ref>

Since 1961, Rhodesia had an "Accredited Diplomatic Representative" with [[South Africa]], heading a "Rhodesian Diplomatic Mission" or [[de facto embassy|''de facto'' embassy]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Report of the Secretary for Information, Immigration, and Tourism|url=https://books.google.comco.uk/books?redir_esc=y&id=lB4kAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=+%22Rhodesian+Diplomatic+Mission%22|year=1964|publisher=Ministry of Information, Immigration, and Tourism}}</ref> Before South Africa left the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] that year, the then [[Southern Rhodesia]] had exchanged High Commissioners with the then [[Union of South Africa]], but following the change in status, the Republic now had a "South African Diplomatic Mission" in [[Harare|Salisbury]].<ref name="lloyd">{{cite book|author=Lorna Lloyd|title=Diplomacy with a Difference: the Commonwealth Office of High Commissioner, 1880–2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QeqwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA240|year=2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-474-2059-0|page=240}}</ref>

The mainmost influential newspapers in the country were the ''[[Rhodesia Herald]]'' in [[Harare|Salisbury]] and ''[[The Chronicle (Zimbabwe)|The Chronicle]]'' in [[Bulawayo]]. Following UDI, in 1976, the state-run [[Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation|Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation (RBC)]] took over the privately owned [[Rhodesia Television|Rhodesia Television (RTV)]] service, in which it had previously acquired a 51 percent stake.<ref>{{cite book|author=John R. Bittner|title=Broadcasting: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7MsAAAAMAAJ|year=1980|publisher=Prentice-Hall International|page=263|isbn=9780130835352}}</ref>

SinceAs Rhodesia was a former colony of the United Kingdom, all of the sports that were born in the United Kingdom enjoyed considerable popularity in Rhodesia; especially [[cricket]], [[rugby football|rugby]], [[water polo]], [[association football|football]], [[netball]], [[golf]], [[tennis]] (including the [[Rhodesian Open Tennis Championships]]), [[lawn bowls]], [[field hockey]], etc. Just like neighbouring South Africa, Rhodesia was barred from both competing against and participating with [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] member countries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Little |first=Charles |date=2011 |title=The Sports Boycott Against Rhodesia Reconsidered |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.546519 |journal=Sport in Society |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=193–207|doi=10.1080/17430437.2011.546519 |s2cid=143654494 }}</ref>

[[Category:Former territorial entities in Africacountries]]