1868-1884 History of Southern Africa 1918-1966







History of the Basutoland Protectorate, 1884-1918



In 1884, Basutoland was placed under a High Commissioner, who in 1885 also became responsible for Bechuanaland and in 1906 also for Swaziland. British administration was minimalistic; the two British officials were advised to do nothing in excess of the revenue (from local taxation). In effect little was done beyond keeoping law and order. Alcoholism spread, and suppression of the natives by their own chiefs was another problem.
In 1891, Basutoland had a population of 218,000, in 1904 of 349,000. In 1903 a National Council was established.
The Boer War (1899-1902) found Basutoland, though a British protectorate, caught between the fronts.
In 1910, the Union of South Africa was formed. Basutoland was completely surrounded by it. The Union several times applied for the integration of Basutoland and Swaziland; the Colonial Office rejected it every time. In 1910 Basutoland was given a colonial constitution; the Laws of Leronthodi (traditional laws) were codified.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		History of Lesotho from Guide to Lesotho, and from Infoplease
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE Zdenek Cervenka et al., Botswana - Lesotho - Swaziland, Bonn : Deutsche Afrika-Gesellschaft, 1974, in German
Article : Basutoland, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1913 p.706 (on events of 1912) [G]
Article : Basutoland, in : Statesman's Year Book 1895 pp.166-167, 1898 pp.166-167, 1901 pp.181-182, 1905 pp.192-194, 1910 pp.187-188 [G]
Article : Basutoland, in : The International Year Book 1898 p.90, 1899 p.105 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on August 30th 2007

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