Rhodesia - the African paradise of whites, which was left no chance
You don't have to look for Rhodesia on a map of Africa - this once promising country no longer exists. In its place is Zimbabwe - a typical African country, with a poor population, legendary inflation, epidemics and widespread corruption. How did it happen that perhaps the most blessed country on the Dark Continent turned into a stable zone of humanitarian disaster?
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia says this about Rhodesia:
It’s worth saying right away that the information given in this passage has little to do with reality. Unlike South Africa, the apartheid policy was never pursued here, and the black population had its own deputies in parliament.
At the end of the 19th century, the British Empire fell into a colonial crisis and began to lose its invincible position in its overseas possessions. In order not to aggravate the situation, it was decided to transfer part of the territories into the hands of private English companies.
Representatives of big business only welcomed this initiative - not long before, large gold deposits were found on the lands now occupied by Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) and Zambia (Northern Rhodesia). British businessman Cecil Rhodes began to actively invest energy and funds in the development of the region, and the fruits of his labor were not long in coming.
Rich mineral resources, a mild climate, a friendly local population and the activity of white colonists made it possible to quickly transform a run-down African colony into a developed industrial region, attractive to investors and settlers.
After the end of World War II, Great Britain finally lost its influence in the colonies and one by one they began to demand independence. In London they resisted this very sluggishly and, as a result, independent states began to form one after another on the map of Africa.
This led to a massive outflow of the white population and the killings of those who did not want to leave the places that had long become their homeland for several generations of colonists. As a rule, semi-literate former soldiers of the colonial armies came to power in the young republics, distinguished by tyranny, inconsistency and unjustified cruelty.
But Rhodesia escaped this fate. The white population did not intend to leave their homes and, moreover, supported the idea of separation from the metropolis. In a referendum held in November 1964, 90% of the white population voted for independence. As a result of the elections, the Rhodesian Front party came to power, led by Ian Smith, who later took the post of Prime Minister.
Great Britain, like most other countries in the world, refused to recognize the results of the referendum and, feigning concern for the indigenous population, began to demand the transfer of power in the country to the black majority. Of course, the white population of Rhodesia did not agree with this solution to the issue, and Great Britain and Ian Smith began protracted and tedious negotiations with the British government. He was unable to achieve the slightest success in this, so in 1965 Rhodesia declared its independence unilaterally, and Smith took over as prime minister.
A broad campaign was immediately launched against the country - Ian Smith was declared a bloody dictator, and they tried to strangle the Rhodesian economy with economic sanctions. They came into force in 1966 at the request of the UN.
Fortunately, the country at that time was predominantly agricultural and withstood the economic blockade without any problems. Another global outcast, South Africa, also under sanctions, eagerly traded with Rhodesia, providing equipment and weapons in exchange for agricultural goods and raw materials.
In 1965, the white population of Rhodesia was 5% and its number was approaching 200 thousand. Almost all the key positions in the country were occupied by whites, but in parliament, as we have already said, there were several black deputies. The property qualification did not allow increasing the number of representatives of the indigenous population in the country's highest legislative body.
This situation suited the blacks quite well - no one oppressed them, they served in the army together with whites, schools and hospitals were opened throughout the country, and everyone who wanted a job was provided with work. But this state of affairs did not suit Great Britain and a number of other “civilized countries” at all.
Until 1962, Rhodesia was the safest country in Africa, in which the police did without weapons. This made it highly attractive to tourists from all over the world.
Attacks began on Rhodesian farms and brutal reprisals against the population, in which both whites and blacks suffered. In the Soviet Union, this was immediately qualified as a fight against the “racist regime” and flows of weapons, uniforms and military equipment flowed into the once peaceful African republic. Russian-speaking military instructors appeared in the ZANU and ZAPU camps.
Terrorists settled in Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana, neighboring Rhodesia. They carried out lightning strikes on border settlements and immediately retreated to their original positions. The attacks were ruthless and aimed at the complete destruction of the population, both loyal to the existing government and neutral. The purpose of the attacks was to intimidate, but they could not break the will of the citizens of the young republic.
Rhodesia had a fairly strong army by African standards, the total number of which was about 10 thousand people. The country had its own artillery, armored car regiments, special forces and even aviation, consisting of 48 aircraft and 50 helicopters. Prime Minister Ian Smith, who served as a British air force pilot during World War II, had a good understanding of military affairs and realized that with such enemy tactics, it was necessary to emphasize air strikes.
Several operations of government troops achieved their goal and part of the border terrorist bases were destroyed. Then the enemy began to carry out terrorist attacks. In 1976, a Rhodesian Air Force passenger plane was shot down using a Strela-2 MANPADS. Everyone on the plane died, and there is evidence that some survivors were brutally finished off on the ground.
In 1977, a bomb exploded in the Rhodesian capital, Salisbury, killing 11 people and injuring 78 civilians. Another plane was shot down in 1979 and this time the number of casualties reached 59. This did not affect the morale of the Rhodesian army and effective operations involving aviation and airmobile units continued without interruption.
The fighting was so intense that the fighters carried out three combat landings a day! As a result, over 7 years of confrontation, the army managed to destroy up to 70% of the terrorists. Farmers from border areas also did not stand aside - they purchased small arms en masse and created self-defense units.
But despite the heroism of the military and civilians, the long-term war could not help but lead to devastating consequences for the country. Rhodesia's once robust economy was undermined, and economic sanctions helped hasten its collapse.
At the end of the 70s, it was decided to look for peaceful options for resolving the conflict and in a country exhausted by the guerrilla war, it was decided to create a government of national unity. Elections based on the principle of “one person, one vote” were held on June 1, 1979, and representatives of Great Britain attended as observers.
As a result, Bishop Abel Muzorewa became prime minister, and the country itself was renamed Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. After the elections, the combat-ready government army was disbanded, as well as the country's security services. In 1980, power passed into the hands of Robert Mugabe, who in 1977 was recognized as the organizer of the Salisbury bombing.
The new head of state began to pursue a policy of expelling the white population from the country. Farms were transferred to the black population, who had no desire to run large-scale farms. White Rhodesians began to leave en masse for Great Britain, and the military began to leave across the border into South Africa, destroying equipment and strategic objects along the way.
In 2001, a law was passed in Zimbabwe prohibiting whites from having private property in the country, and the agricultural sector, on which the country’s economy had been relying with all its might, finally collapsed. In 2010, out of 200 thousand white people in the country, only 10 thousand remained. The once prosperous country has turned into one of the poorest on the continent, where only the president’s family and his entourage live well.
The death of Rhodesia is a clear example of how terror, democracy and the expulsion of the intellectual elite can drive a self-sufficient state into the Stone Age and turn it into a dirty rogue country, where the locals are so impoverished that in a matter of hours they can dismantle the carcass of a dead elephant for parts.