Republic of Rhodesia

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The nations south of the DRC/Zaire/Belgian Congo were in big trouble.

Overview[]

The Republic of Rhodesia (1970-1979) was an unrecognized state in Southern Africa. It had spent the previous 5 years (1965–70) as a unrecognized dominion of the UK.

They had declared their independence in 1965 since the UK was hellbent on setting up a Black majority regime when Rhodesia got independence. The Whites understandably feared the Blacks would ruin the then prosperous colony on independence and kill all the Whites as had happened in the Belgian Congo\Congo-Léopoldville.

The issues[]

The nations south of and including the Belgian Congo\Congo-Léopoldville were in big trouble. Many wars and civil wars had occurred over the years due to the ongoing problems relating to the region's colonial legacy.

Congo-Léopoldville had lost control of several provinces during the early 1960s including the State of Katanga between 1960 and 1963.

As a whole, the Portuguese Empire was hated by Africans for it's homicidal attitude. The Pijiguiti Massacre in 1959 saw Portuguese soldiers opened fire on protesting Bissau dockworkers, killing 50.

The anti-French 1947-48 Malagasy Uprising was bloodily crushed in 1948.

The main problems in Rhodesia was about the issues of communism, apartheid, the fall of the Portuguese empire, Rhodesia under Sir Ian Smith and the fate of White colonial ex-pats\business interests.

Rhodesia[]

Some Eland armoured cars of Regiment Windhoek en route from Grootfontein to Etalein 1978.

The Nation of Rhodesia (IPA/roʊˈdiːʒə/, rə-dee-zhə), commonly known from 1970 onwards as the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised white nationalist ex-state in southern Africa from 1965 to 1979. They declared UDI under Sir Ian Smith and his White minority clique who opposed the UK's plan for Black majority rule. The country practiced what is called a 'herrenvolk democracy', meaning that while it had a parliamentary system, only the white minority had meaningful political control.

The Rhodesian Bush War (also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation of 4 July 1964 to 12 December 1979), was a civil war that took place from July 1964 to December 1979 after the unrecognised and pro-white and semi-fascist country of Rhodesia.

Most Black and White Rhodesians feared a repeat of the bloody Mau Mau rising in Kenya and the Congo Crisis in the Belgian Congo, but non the less the Whites were cruel, bigoted and pro-apartheid which inevitably alienated those Blacks who did not mined temporary white rule or allowing the whites to stay after independence. Faced with the end of British colonial rule and the rule by the Black's xenophobic nationalist factions, the state fell in to full on racism and fascism. Many of the blacks and some whites wanted a multi-cultural state, but they were soon forgotten when the hard liners took over in each side.

The Black nationalist Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), Front for the Liberation of Zimbabwe (FROLIZI), Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) fraught against the White nationalist' state run forces.

South Africa supported Rhodesia for most of it's existence and Portugal offered Rhodesia help until 1974. The Black nationalists were backed by Mozambique's FRELIMO until 25 June 1975 and Mozambique's Mozambique from 25 June 1975. Help was also given to the rebels by China, Libya, Tanzania, the African National Congress (ANC), Soviet Union, Zambia, Cuba and East Germany.

Eventual Robert Mugabe would win the conflict and set up the even more toxic pro-black supremacist nation of Zimbabwe.

President[]

Clifford Dupont (₩) (March 2, 1970 - December 31, 1975) Henry Breedon Everard (₩) (December 31, 1975 - January 14, 1976) John Wrathall (₩) (January 14, 1976 - August 31, 1978) Henry Breedon Everard (₩) (August 31, 1978 - November 1, 1978) Jack William Pithey (₩) (November 1, 1978 - March 5, 1979) Henry Breedon Everard (₩) (March 5, 1979 - June 1, 1979)

The more moderate prime minister, Winston Field, was seen as a failure after not wining Rhodesia's independence from the United Kingdom in 1963 following the dissolution of the Central African Federation. Clifford Dupont and Desmond Lardner-Burke formed a group known as "the cowboys", overthrow Winston Field and install the more hard line Sir Ian Smith as prime minister.

Prime minister[]

Ian Smith (March 2, 1970 - 1965–1979)

Related colonies and nations[]

Colony of Southern Rhodesia (1923-1965)
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953-1963)
Rhodesia Rhodesia (1965-1970)
Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979)
Colony of Southern Rhodesia (1979-1980)
Republic of Zimbabwe (From 1980)

Neighbouring Nations[]

South Africa
- Namibia (S. African colony)
Botswana
Zambia
Mozambique

Mineral resources[]

.

The conflicts[]

.

Also see[]

Egypt
Angola
Namibia
Mozambique
West Africa
North Africa
Horn of Africa
Bophuthatswana
Koevoet units
1947-48 Malagasy Uprising
Portuguese Colonial War
Minerals and fuel in central Africa
Arbitrary colonial borders divided the tribes
United Nations Security Council Resolution 282
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
United Nations Security Council Resolution 591
United Nations Security Council Resolution 919
United Nations Security Council Resolution 216
United Nations Security Council Resolution 202
United Nations Security Council Resolution 300
United Nations Security Council Resolution 218
United Nations Security Council Resolution 275
United Nations Security Council Resolution 204
United Nations Security Council Resolution 178
United Nations Security Council Resolution 289
United Nations Security Council Resolution 275