1924-1939 History of Southern Africa Zambia since 1964






Regular Stamps issued for Northern Rhodesia



History of the Northern Rhodesia Protectorate, 1939-1964



When World War II broke out in 1939, Britain claimed the colony's entire copper production; copper prices soared. A Northern Rhodesian regiment was recruited, fought in the war in various theatres. In 1940 the second Copper Belt strike took place.
After the war, steps for democratization were undertaken; an AFRICAN REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL was established in 1946. The white settlers were against a policy giving the Africans a greater part in the political process and a wider access to education and campaigned for an amalgamation with Southern Rhodesia. In 1948, two Africans were appointed to the Northern Rhodesia Legislative Council. The first African mineworkers' union was organized (1948). The NORTHERN RHODESIAN AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS was founded.
In 1950, elementary education was made compulsory for Africans. In 1953, against the expressed will of many Africans, the CENTRAL AFRICAN FEDERATION, also called RHODESIA AND NYASALAND, was created.
In the late 1950es, political parties were founded representing the African population majority; in 1962 a campaign of civil disobedience paved the road to independence.
The NRANC organized boycotts, strikes; in 1959 it was banned. Many NRANC leaders, among them KENNETH KAUNDA, joined the UNIP (United National Independence Party), which in 1960 elected Kaunda president. Also in 1959 elections were held in Northern Rhodesia, the first with African participation. A new constitution was promulgated in 1962; a coalition UNIP-NRANC government was formed (1962). In 1963 the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved; Northern Rhodesia, under the name of ZAMBIA, was granted independence in 1964.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Infoplease : Zambia, History of
Commented Pictures from Nkana, N. Rhodesia, from the 1930es and 1940es, from Great North Road, photos made by Robert Retamal
The Northern Rhodesia Regiment in WW II, by B. Stone
Know your Rhodesia and know your Nyasaland, by N.S. Ferris, online edition of 1956 book
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland : The Party System in 1950-1956 and 1957-1962, in : Kenneth Janda, Political Parties : A Cross-National Survey
DOCUMENTS Flag of Northern Rhodesia, from FOTW
Coat of Arms, Central African Federation, from Wappenlexikon, comment in German
Map of Zambia, from UPenn, African Studies
Northern Rhodesian coins and banknotes, 1950es, from Great North Road
Agreement Between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (on their own behalf and on the behalf of the Government of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland) and the Government of Portugal With Regard to Certain Angolan and Northern Rhodesian Natives Living on the Kwando River Signed at Lisbon, 18 November 1954 from International Water Law Project
REFERENCE Chapter 30 : The Rhodesias and the Central African Federation, pp.602-619; 31 : More about Rhodesia and Nyasaland, pp.620-645, in : John Gunther, Inside Africa, NY : Harper & Bros. (1953) 1955 [G]
Frank Shapiro, Haven in Africa, Jerusalem : Gefen 2002 (on Jewish immigration into Northern Rhodesia)
John J. Grotpeter, Historical Dictionary of Zambia, Metuchen : Scarecrow 1979
Article : Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1944 p.604, 1945 p.603, 1946 pp.641-642 [G]
Article Northern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1950 p.598 (on events in 1949) [G]
Article Northern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1951 p.601 (on events in 1950) [G]
Article Northern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1952 p.602 (on events in 1951) [G]
Article Northern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1953 p.610 (on events in 1952) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1954 pp.612-613; N. Rhodesia p.612 (on events in 1953) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1955 pp.661-662 (on events in 1954) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1956 p.599 (on events in 1955) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1957 pp.660-661 (on events in 1956) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1958 pp.595-596 (on events in 1957) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1959 pp.593-594 (on events in 1958) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1960 pp.595-596 (on events in 1959) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1961 pp.603-604 (on events in 1960) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1962 pp.594-595 (on events in 1961) [G]
Article Rhodesia and Nyasaland, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1963 pp.697-699(on events in 1962) [G]
Article Commonwealth of Nations, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1964 pp.268-269 (on events in 1963) [G]
Article : Northern Rhodesia, in : Statesman's Year Book 1943 pp.237-239 [G]
Article : Northern Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1943 pp.633-634, 1944 p.610, 1945 p.623, 1946 pp.643-644, 1947 pp.614-615 [G]
Article : Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.674-676, 1961 pp.644-646, 1962 pp.649-651, 1963 pp.576-578 [G]
Article : Rhodesia and Nyasaland, in : Americana Annual 1964 pp.572-575 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on September 28th 2007

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