Southern Rhodesia

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Colony of Southern Rhodesia

British Colony
← ← ← 1923-1953 1963-1965 1979-1980 → → →
Flag
Anthem: God Save the Queen
Capital	Salisbury
Language(s)	English
Government	Constitutional monarchy
Monarch
- 1923-1936	George V
- 1952-1980¹	Elizabeth II
Governor
- 1923-1928	Sir John Robert Chancellor
- 1959-1969²	Sir Humphrey Gibbs
- 1979-1980	Lord Soames
Prime Minister
- 1933-1953	Sir Godfrey Huggins
- 1964-1979	Ian Smith
History
- BSAC Charter signed	1889
- Direct British rule	October 1, 1923
- Federation	1953-1963
- UDI	November 15, 1965
- Republic declared	March 3, 1970
- Zimbabwe Rhodesia	June 1, 1979
- Independence	April 17, 1980
Currency	Pound
¹ After March 3, 1970, position not recognized by Rhodesian government. ² After November 11, 1965, position not recognized by Rhodesian Government.

Zimbabwe
This article is part of the series: History of Zimbabwe
Matabeleland ; Mashonaland
Southern Rhodesia
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
Rhodesia
Zimbabwe-Rhodesia
Zimbabwe	-
WP:AFRICA -  This box: view • talk • edit

Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa, known today as Zimbabwe.

[edit] History

It has been suggested that the section 1890-1953 from the article Rhodesia be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that the section 1853-1965 from the article Rhodesia be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

[edit] Origin as 'Rhodesia'

The territory was originally referred to as 'South Zambezia' but the name 'Rhodesia' came into use in 1895. The designation 'Southern' was adopted in 1901 and dropped from normal usage in 1964 and Rhodesia became the name of the country until the creation of Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979.

Named after Cecil Rhodes, the British empire-builder who was one of the most important figures in British expansion into southern Africa, obtained mineral rights in 1888 from the most powerful local traditional leaders through treaties such as the Rudd Concession and the Moffat Treaty signed by King Lobengula of the Ndebele.

The British government agreed that Rhodes' company, the British South Africa Company (BSAC) would administer the territory stretching from the Limpopo to Lake Tanganyika under charter as a protectorate. Queen Victoria signed the charter in 1889.

[edit] Becomes known as 'Southern Rhodesia'

The territory north of the Zambezi, now Zambia, which was the subject of separate treaties with African chiefs, was admininistered separately by the BSAC as North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia from 1890 and 1897 respectively. The whites in the territory south of the river paid it scant regard though, and generally used the name 'Rhodesia' in a narrow sense to mean their part. The designation 'Southern' was used from 1901, especially when the BSAC merged the administration of the two northern territories as Northern Rhodesia in 1911.

In 1923 the British Government ended the BSAC charter, took over direct administration of Southern Rhodesia and set it on the road to becoming a self-governing British colony.

From 1953 to 1963 Southern Rhodesia instigated, controlled and was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which ended with the independence of Northern Rhodesia/Zambia and Nyasaland/Malawi.

[edit] Reverts to 'Rhodesia'

With 'Northern Rhodesia' no longer in existence, in 1964 Southern Rhodesia dropped the 'Southern' (see next section).

In 1965, Rhodesia unilaterally declared itself independent under a White-dominated government. After a long civil war between the white government and two African guerrilla organisations (ZIPRA and ZANLA), Britain resumed control for a brief time and then granted independence to the country in 1980, whereupon it became Zimbabwe.

[edit] Legal aspects of the name since 1964

On October 7, 1964 the Southern Rhodesian government announced that when Northern Rhodesia achieved independence as Zambia, the Southern Rhodesian government would officially become known as the Rhodesian Government and the colony would become known as Rhodesia.^[1] On October 23 the Minister of Internal Affairs notified the Press that the Constitution would be amended to make this official. The Legislative Assembly then passed an Interpretation Bill to declare that the colony could be referred to as Rhodesia; the Bill received its third reading on December 9, 1964, and therefore passed to the Governor for assent.

However, no assent was granted to the Bill. The Southern Rhodesia (Annexation) Order in Council 1923, section 3, provided that Southern Rhodesia "shall be known as the Colony of Southern Rhodesia" and the Southern Rhodesia (Constitution) Act 1961 and the Order in Council which followed it both referred to it as such. These were United Kingdom measures and it was ultra vires for the Southern Rhodesian institutions to amend them.^[2]

The Rhodesian government, which had begun using the new name anyway, did not press the issue. The Unilateral Declaration of Independence was in the name of Rhodesia. While the new name was widely used, 'Southern Rhodesia' remained the colony's formal name in United Kingdom constitutional theory: for example, the Act passed by the United Kingdom Parliament declaring the independence a legal nullity was entitled the Southern Rhodesia Act, 1965. When the rebellion was formally declared at an end by the passing of the Constitution of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia (Amendment) (No. 4) Act 1979, the United Kingdom resumed the governance of the colony under the direct control of the Governor under the name of Southern Rhodesia.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• British South Africa Company
• Pioneer Column
• Prime Minister of Rhodesia
• Shangani Patrol
• Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
• Albert John Lutuli, famous South African born in Southern Rhodesia

v • d • e

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

Legend
Current territory  ·  Former territory
* now a Commonwealth Realm  ·  now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Europe 

18th century 1708-1757  Minorca since 1713  Gibraltar 1782-1802  Minorca

19th century 1800-1964  Malta 1807-1890  Heligoland 1809-1864  Ionian Islands 1878-1960  Cyprus

20th century since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia

North America 

16th century 1583-1907  Newfoundland 17th century 1607-1784  Thirteen Colonies since 1619  Bermuda 1670-1870  Rupert's Land 18th century Canada (British Imperial)    1763-1791  Quebec    1791-1841  Lower Canada    1791-1841  Upper Canada

19th century Canada (British Imperial)    1841-1867  Province of Canada    1849-1866  Vancouver Island    1858-1871  British Columbia    1859-1870  North-Western Territory    1862-1863  Stikine Territory *Canada (post-Confederation)    1867-1931  Dominion of Canada

20th century *Canada (post-Confederation)    1907-1931  Dominion of Newfoundland

Latin America and the Caribbean 

17th century 1605-1979  *Saint Lucia 1624-1966  *Barbados 1625-1650  Saint Croix 1627-1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1629-1641  St. Andrew and Providence Islands1 since 1632  Montserrat 1643-1860  Bay Islands since 1650  Anguilla 1651-1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1655-1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655-1962  *Jamaica since 1666  British Virgin Islands since 1670  Cayman Islands 1670-1973  *Bahamas 1670-1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands1 1671-1816  Leeward Islands 18th century 1762-1974  *Grenada 1763-1978  Dominica since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands	19th century 1831-1966  British Guiana (Guyana) 1833-1960  Windward Islands 1833-1960  Leeward Islands 1860-1981  *Antigua and Barbuda 1871-1964  British Honduras (*Belize) 1882-1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889-1962  Trinidad and Tobago	20th century 1958-1962  West Indies Federation
1 Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia.

Africa 

18th century 1792-1961  Sierra Leone 1795-1803  Cape Colony	19th century 1806-1910  Cape Colony 1816-1965  Gambia 1856-1910  Natal 1868-1966  Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874-1957  Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882-1922  Egypt 1884-1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884-1960  British Somaliland 1887-1897  Zululand 1888-1894  Matabeleland 1890-1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 1890-1962  Uganda 1890-1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891-1964  Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891-1907  British Central Africa 1893-1968  Swaziland 1895-1920  British East Africa 1899-1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan	20th century 1900-1914  Northern Nigeria 1900-1914  Southern Nigeria 1900-1910  Orange River Colony 1906-1954  Nigeria Colony 1910-1931  South Africa 1911-1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914-1954  Nigeria Protectorate 1915-1931  South West Africa (Namibia) 1919-1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 2 1920-1963  Kenya 1922-1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 1954-1960  Nigeria since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory
2 League of Nations mandate.

Asia 

18th century 1757-1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1795-1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796-1965  Maldives	19th century 1819-1826  Singapore 1826-1946  Straits Settlements 1839-1967  Aden 1841-1997  Hong Kong 1841-1941  Kingdom of Sarawak 1858-1947  India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) 1882-1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885-1946  Unfederated Malay States 1891-1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892-1971  Trucial States protectorate 1895-1946  Federated Malay States 1898-1930  Weihai Garrison	20th century 1918-1961  Kuwait protectorate 1920-1932  Iraq2 1921-1946  Transjordan2 1923-1948  Palestine2 1946-1948  Malayan Union 1946-1963  Sarawak (Malaysia) 1948-1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia)
2 League of Nations mandate.

Oceania and the Pacific 

18th century 1788-1901  New South Wales 1794-1843  Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)	19th century 1803-1901  Tasmania 1824-1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824-1901  Queensland 1829-1901  Western Australia 1836-1901  South Australia since 1838  Pitcairn Islands 1840-1907  *Colony of New Zealand 1850-1901  Victoria (Australia) 1874-1970  Fiji 1877-1976  British Western Pacific Territories 1884-1949  Territory of Papua 1888-1965  Cook Islands2 1888-1984  Sultanate of Brunei 1889-1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)3 1892-1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands4 1893-1978  British Solomon Islands5	20th century 1900-1970  Tonga (protected state) 1900-1974  Niue3 1901-1942  *Commonwealth of Australia 1907-1953  *Dominion of New Zealand 1949-1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea6
3 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. 4 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu. 5 Now the *Solomon Islands. 6 Now *Papua New Guinea.

South Atlantic 

17th century since 1659  St. Helena	19th century since 1815  Ascension Island7 since 1816  Tristan da Cunha7 since 1833  Falkland Islands9	20th century since 1908  British Antarctic Territory8 since 1908  South Georgia and                     the South Sandwich Islands8, 9
7 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha). 8 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). 9 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982.