1939-1965 History of Southern Africa Zimbabwe
since 1980






Rhodesia under Ian Smith, 1965-1980



International Status and Foreign Policy : In 1964, IAN SMITH was elected Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia. Britain pushed for a constitutional reform of it's colony which would grant the African population majority political representation; Ian Smith and the Southern Rhodesian parliament were unwilling to accept this and in 1965 unilaterally declared independence, the state now being called RHODESIA.
Britain opposed this measure and negotiations continued; the Ian Smith government drew support from South Africa (which had an Apartheid regime and thus was sympathetic to the Rhodesian cause).
The U.N. imposed sanctions as early as 1966. The negotiations with Britain failed in 1969, and the Commonwealth decided to boycott Rhodesia; the country's athletes could not participate in Olympic Games, many nations refused to trade with Rhodesia.
In 1970 Rhodesia proclaimed the republic.

Domestic Policy : In 1965, shortly before UDI (unilateral declaration of independence), emergency legislation was passed which introduced censorship. ZAPU had already been banned in 1962, ZANU in 1964. Segregation was maintained; schools for blacks were not subsidized and schooling for black children was not mandatory; for white children it was mandatory and free of charge.
The years 1978 to 1980 saw a solution brought about by negotiations. In 1980, the Rhodesian administration agreed to general elections with blackl participation (one person one vote); Robert Mugabe's ZANU emerged victorious. The country was renamed ZIMBABWE.

The Guerilla War : ZANU and ZAPU began guerilla raids from bases in Zambia, Moçambique in 1966. In 1972 the guerilla raids intensified. The Rhodesian military was quite apt in dealing with these raids, but they began to make an impact. In 1974/1975 Portugal released her colony of Moçambique into independence; in 1976 the Rhodesian army began to pursue guerilla fighters into Moçambique territory. While the guerilla fighters could not achieve a military victory, the guerilla activity forced Rhodesia to maintain an armed force it could not afford. The years 1978 to 1980 saw a solution brought about by negotiations.

The Economy : Following the proclamation of the Republic in 1970, Rhodesia introduced a new currency, the Rhodesian Dollar. In 1972 the country went metric.
With Moçambique engulfed in war, and Rhodesia facing international boycott, an alternative to the railway route to the port of Beira became a necessity. In 1974, Rhodesia was connected to the South African railroad network. The part of the embargo most damaging Rhodesia was the oil embargo; Rhodesia tried to make the most out of her coal reserves. Another consequence was inflation.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Links to the History of Rhodesia, from Hits 4 Me
History of Zimbabwe, from Infoplease
Rhodesia and South Africa Military History (tendentious)
Books on Rhodesia, from Rhodesia was Super, tendentious (Rhodesia Nostalgia)
CASCON Case ZIM : Zimbabwe Independence 1965-1980, by L.P. Bloomfield, L. Moulton
DOCUMENTS Flag of Rhodesia, from FOTW
Civic Arms (1924-), from International Civic Arms
Rhodesian banknotes, from FOTW
Lists of Prime Ministers, Presidents etc. from Political Reference Almanac
Rhodesia : Unilateral Declaration of Independence Documents, 1965, from Modern History Sourcebook
Time Magazine Nov. 5th 1965 : We Want our Country, from Time Trail Zimbabwe
Estimates of Death Toll in Armed Struggle against Apartheid Regime, posted by Matthew White, scroll down for Rhodesia
Rhodesia Travelogue, 1973, by Carlos Whitlock Porter (tendentious)
REFERENCE The Rhodesian Counterinsurgence War, 1972-1980, pp.16-33 in : John W. Turner, Continent Ablaze. The Insurgency Wars in Africa, 1960 to the Present, London : Cassell 1998
Article Southern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1966 pp.695-696 (on events in 1965) [G]
Article Southern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1967 pp.695-696 (on events in 1966) [G]
Article Southern Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1968 pp.703-704 (on events in 1967) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1969 pp.663-664 (on events in 1968) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1970 pp.670-671 (on events in 1969) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1971 pp.652-654 (on events in 1970) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1972 pp.614-615 (on events in 1971) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1973 pp.600-602 (on events in 1972) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1974 pp.600-601 (on events in 1973) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1975 pp.605-606 (on events in 1974) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1976 pp.601-603 (on events in 1975) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1977 pp.601-603 (on events in 1976) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1978 pp.619-620 (on events in 1977) [G]
Article Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1979 pp.609-610 (on events in 1978) [G]
Article Zimbabwe Rhodesia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1980 pp.737-739 (on events in 1979) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : The World in Figures 1st ed. 1976 pp.88-89 [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : The World in Figures 2nd ed. 1978 pp.88-89 [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1970-1971 pp.513-520 (data of 1969-1970) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1975-1976 pp.524-530 (data of 1974-1975) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1978-1979 pp.1010-1017 (data of 1977-1978) [G]
Article : Zimbabwe, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1980-1981 pp.1623-1630 (data of 1979-1980) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1967 pp.589-591 (on events of 1966) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1968 pp.190, 578-579 (on events of 1967) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1969 p.586 (on events of 1968) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1970 pp.202, 590-591 (on events of 1969) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1971 pp.586-587 (on events of 1970) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1972 pp.581-582 (on events of 1971) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1973 pp.74, 583-584 (on events of 1972) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1974 pp.78, 507-508 (on events of 1973) [G]
Article : Rhodesia, in : Americana Annual 1976 pp.74, 480 (on events of 1975) [G]
VIDEOS An Afternoon with Ian Smith, 1966, from Shambuki Enterprises, 50 minutes interview; Suddenly a City - Salisbury in the 1960es and 1970es, from Shambuki Enterprises (both tendentious)
Historical documentaries on the history of Rhodesia / Zimbabwe, from Memories of Rhodesia : Rhodesia 1890-1980, 2 Volumes; the Winds of Change, 2 Volumes; Political Promotions



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on October 11th 2006

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