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Rhodesia
Politics is the process by which decisions are made within groups. ...
National motto: Sit Nomine Digna (Latin: May she be worthy of the name} Official language English Capital Salisbury Political system Parliamentary system Form of government Republic - Last President John Wrathall - Prime Minister Ian Smith Area - Total - % water 390 580 km² 1% Population - 1978 est. ...
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Rhodesia File links The following pages link to this file: Rhodesia List of FIFA country codes Categories: Flag images ...
Rhodesia was a democratic nation in the sense that it had the Westminster parliamentary system with multiple political parties contesting the seats in parliament, but as the voting was dominated by the White settler minority and that the black africans only had a minority level of representation at that time...
| | | | UDI (11/11/1965)
Presidents of Rhodesia
Governors of Rhodesia
Prime Minister of Rhodesia
Rhodesian Front
Elections in Rhodesia
Foreign relations of Rhodesia
Flags of Rhodesia 1896-1979
National Anthem of Rhodesia
Military of Rhodesia
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was signed on November 11, 1965 by the white minority regime of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed rushed moves by the United Kingdom towards black majority rule in the then British colony. ...
This page contains a list of officers administering the Government of Rhodesia from 1965 to 1970, and of presidents of Rhodesia from 1970 to 1979. ...
This page contains a list of Governors of the Government of Rhodesia from 1923 to 1980, and includes the period of UDI (1965-1970) when a competing position to the legal Governor was created . ...
The Prime Minister of Rhodesia (until 1963 Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia) was the head of government in the colony of Rhodesia. ...
The Rhodesian Front (RF) was a political party in Southern Rhodesia, later known simply as Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, when the country was under white minority rule. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rhodesia. ...
This is a list of flags used in Rhodesia between 1896 and 1979 National Flags Vice-Regal and Presidential See also Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia) Categories: | ...
Rise O Voices of Rhodesia was adopted as the national anthem of Rhodesia in 1974, following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1965. ...
The Second Chimurenga was a conflict in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) between the white minority government of Ian Smith and the black nationalists of the ZANU and ZAPU movements, led by Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo respectively. ...
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| Since the granting of self-government in 1923, (Southern) Rhodesia used the Westminster parliamentary system as its basis of government. The Political party (or alliance) that had most of the seats in the Rhodesian parliament became the government. The person in charge of this bloc (the head of government) is the Prime Minister, who then chooses his cabinet from his elected colleagues. The parliament was adjucated by the Speaker of the house, who is likewise chosen from one of the parlimentarians. Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the...
Rhodesian variants on the parliamentary system
There were two voter rolls that were available to voters. The 'A' roll was the general roll, open to all voters (though in practice, that meant the European settlers). There were fifty 'A' roll seats in the Rhodesian parliament. In the 1960's, in order to secure at least some native African representation, a 'B' roll was created which had a total of seventeen seats. The qualification for this roll was a debased franchise qualification.
Prime Minister Ian Smith justified this setup on the grounds that the vast majority of black Rhodesians had no experience with the democratic system. White Rhodesians feared that rapid transition to Black majority rule might yield similar difficulties to those experienced by the newly independent Black African states such as Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria. Smith proposed a gradual inclusion of Blacks - increasing as the African population got to understand the system. This was based on the contributions to the fisc, hence the 50-15 split in the 65 seat parliament. Critics counter that this was simply a strategy to perpetuate European settler rule for as long as possible, and whether this transition would have happened over the next few decades is unclear.
Elected governments All of the 'A' Roll seats from the UDI up to the end of Rhodesia in 1979 were all won by Rhodesian Front candidates. These wins were clearly the will of the 'A' roll voters who felt that the Rhodesian Front was the best choice to lead Rhodesia through the difficult years of sanctions and guerilla war. The 'B' Roll seats were held by Tribal Chiefs and independent candidates. These results ensured a Black African being the Leader of the parliamentary opposition. |
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