Rhodesia

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The Union of Rhodesia
A Comprehensive History
1 – European Arrival, Fort Rhodes
The land currently known as Rhodesia was first sighted by the English explorer Henry Lancaster after being blown off course on a voyage to India in February 1497. Of his three vessels, two were sinking, and Lancaster made landfall on the shores of a small harbor. With only one small ship left, he decided to build a fort on the island in the middle of the harbor, while the remaining ship would continue to India to get help. Fort Rhodes was soon built on the island out of local timber, named after the island in the Mediterranean.
There were some 200 men left behind in the fort, and they soon established relations with the local tribes. Several native villages dotted the shores of the harbor, and exchanges of goods and gifts between the English and the natives occurred frequently. Several of the natives spoke of great riches in the rough highlands of the interior, and several times the English exchanged for precious jewels that the natives had possessed. Many men wanted to search for these riches, but they still had to wait for Lancaster. Lancaster returned in May 1497 with two new ships and new crews. When many of the occupants of the fort wishing to stay, Lancaster took the men that wished to head back to England, and promised to dispatch new ships to help the fort with supplies.
When Lancaster returned to England, he gained royal approval to form the Royal Rhodes Company to maintain and expand the current English presence in the area. Lancaster tried to gather English subjects to bolster the population of the fort, but he could not find many, especially not many women. Still, the few supply voyages that were sent to the fort brought a few women, and the small fort grew slightly in population.
The new colony was ruled by a council of twelve, with six councilors appointed by the company and six elected by the men of the fort. This arrangement worked well for the time, and residents were allowed to do as they pleased for the most part. The company soon began to send expeditions into the interior though, and most of the men were liable for service on these expeditions. However, tales of riches were enough to entice most anyway.
However, these explorations did not turn up much, with many men dying of disease and the harsh climate. Still, the company remained optimistic, seeking to build up contacts with the locals in home of them leading them to their source for jewels. It would take a long time for these relationships to bear fruit though.
2- Anglo-Irish War and the Rhodes Colony
The First Anglo-Irish War which started around 1500 proved to be pivotal moment in the history of the Rhodes Colony. The defeat of the English by Irish Catholics made the situation of Protestants of all stripes in Ireland untenable. Violence against Protestants was quite severe in some areas, and horror stories of atrocities were enough to cause of exodus of Protestants from Ireland.
Still suffering from a lack of colonists, the Rhodes Company jumped at the chance to recruit these Protestant refugees to populate Fort Rhodes. Promises of free land for every colonist and religious freedom along with free passage led to many ships sailing off to Fort Rhodes packed full of Protestant refugees. By 1522, five years after the first war, the Rhodes Colony had a population of some 15,000 people, most living on the shores of Lancaster harbor (which surrounded Fort Rhodes Island). The company purchased land from the natives so that there would be enough land to give all the settlers the grants. Still, as the immigration boom ended, the company was having much trouble securing more land as natives became more and more distrustful of English intentions.
The large influx of landed colonists led to reform of the political system. Many of the colonists demanded political representation, and the company reformed the political system after significant protests and the threat of rebellion. The company created the Rhodes Assembly, with 50 representatives elected by all landowning males. The company had the right to dissolve or call the Assembly into session at any time, and all legislation had to be approved b y the company. Many of the poor whites were disenfranchised though due to the landowning requirement. This further created dissent which simmered in the white underclass, but under the watchful eye of company soldiers and the planters, there was little to do at the moment.
3- The Rhodesian Estates System
The land grants given to most of the colonists created a fairly large, wealthy landed class of planters. Many of the immigrants came from a poor background in Ireland, unaccustomed to managing such large estates, but those who succeeded became quite rich selling the surplus crops they had after the company took its share.
The land grants were about 35 acres per family. The company did nothing other than provide the land and take a tax of the crops that the family grew. Those colonists who were not able to successfully manage their grants had their land seized. These disenfranchised colonists were left landless, but too poor to gain passage back to England. This white underclass provided most of the initial labor to work the fields of the successful planters.
The land of the Rhodes Colony was very fertile soil, allowing for the planters to grow a significant amount of cash crops. Sugarcane was the crop of choice, but several other less prominent crops were grown. Oftentimes, planters would hire the natives as agricultural advisors to supervise the planting and aid in the cultivation of the crops. These black aides often were able to make quite a good living for themselves, some eventually assimilating into the English culture and becoming significant planters themselves.
4- Native War, 1551
After some fifty years of peace across the Rhodes Colony, war finally broke out between most of the native tribes, and the colonists. Company encroachment on tribal land, and increased use of black laborers on the estates pushed native tribes to the breaking point. The company was aware of these developments to degree, through their alliance with the Ndebele, but the company was complacent.
The first war officially started on October 7, 1551 when the planter Francis Walker and his family were murdered by a group of local warriors at night. Soon, tribes were preparing for war all around and in the Rhodes Colony, and the company and the colonists were back against the wall. Soon, white planters were organizing their workers and themselves into regiments, while the Ndebele prepared to fight for the English.
The next strike for the natives was at Manchester’s County, a large series of estates and holdings owned by Sir Edward Manchester on the borders of colonial land. Manchester had organized his workers together into a militia. He had two small cannons, and most of his men had firearms. Fortified in a palisade surrounding the main mansion and the heart of the estate, the militia were able to beat back 5 attempts by the natives to destroy the mansion. Cavalry from Lancaster soon arrived after being notified by a messenger from Manchester, and native forces were routed.
The Ndebele soon notified the company that King Tonga of the Shona was gathering several companies of warriors at his main village. The colonists decided to preempt Tonga, and a force of some 300 men was gathered. They marched to the village, confident of victory, but Tonga was aware of their movements, and he placed and ambush around the village. What happened is known as the Mamudo Massacre. All but ten of the men were killed by the native warriors. These men reported back to the company, explaining the disaster, and all of the Rhodes Colony was beset by fear. If Tonga had struck then, he may have been able to wreak havoc upon the colony, but his warriors needed to celebrate, and a great feast was held to celebrate the victory. The company used this time wisely, gathering more men and preparing to hold the colony to the last. Tonga finally came, but he was defeated two miles outside of Lancaster at the Battle of Tudor field. Various skirmishes and raids occurred over the next two months, but the war had petered out with the defeat of Tonga, and the main threat to colonial rule was gone for now.
5- Exploring the Interior
With the colony finally growing significantly in population, many of the ruling class began to want to revisit the interior once more in search of the jewels. According to the Royal Charter given to the Royal Rhodes Company, it had all rights to the natural resources of the grant, discouraging private searches initially, but with company promises of rewards, brave individuals and small parties began to search and follow native guides in search of these mines.
However, as the searches became larger and more extensive, it began to appear that the mines were very far north from Fort Rhodes. The dreams of many were crushed as it appeared impractical to establish any kind of mines in the area.
Still, all was not lost. Deposits of iron were found to the west, and trading posts were set up by many of the expeditions throughout the interior, expanding English rule throughout the interior.
6- Second Anglo-Irish War, the Second Exodus
The last 50 years of the 16th century were stable and quite for the Rhodes Colony until 1598, the start of the Second Anglo-Irish War. First news of the war came about two months after the actual start, carried by an English trader going to India. The direct threat from Ireland was fairly slim, but with Irish trade routes going to the East Indies, several privateers were fitted out in Lancaster harbor and these ships raided Irish shipping and carried back significant riches to Lancaster and the Rhodes Colony.
However, as the war began to draw to a close and the Irish gained superiority, the Irish attempted to take Fort Rhodes with a small expedition. Five Irish men o’ war entered Lancaster harbor on January 7, 1610 and bombarded Fort Rhodes for six hours. Fort Rhodes, recently rebuilt as a stone star fort, was able withstand the bombardment and the attempt by Irish marines to seize the fort failed. The Irish left the harbor without any success, and news of peace soon arrived in the Rhodes Colony.
The defeat of the English in this war was even more devastating than in the last. Cornwall and Wales were ripped from England, and most of England had been occupied before the war ended. This was had refugees just like the previous war, and with many families wanting to escape war torn England for a better life, they had the choice of either Virginia or the Rhodes Colony. With North America subject to many of the same European powers, the Rhodes Colony was the choice of many looking to escape the entanglements of the European wars. In a company census conducted in 1640, the population of the entire Rhodes Colony had reached some 80,000 persons. While the land grant system was no longer in effect, many were able to find work either in the fields or in the developing urban area around Lancaster.
In addition, England began to pay attention to what few colonies it had left after the devastating war. With the mineral deposits of the Rhodes Colony beginning to be exploited, the loss of the colony to an enemy, especially Ireland would be devastating. So, England began to send more royal funds to the Rhodes Colony to bolster defense, and to help develop and jumpstart the mining industry. In addition, the crown began to supervise the company much more directly; reviewing its finances and making sure it complied with royal decree.
6 – Establishment of Direct Royal Rule, End of the Company
The Royal Rhodes Company’s large investment into mining the iron deposits that had been discovered had turned very sour. Hostile natives and transportation problems led to several failed attempts to begin mining, and the companies finances were in ruins by 1700. The cost of supporting the ever crowing colony was too much of a burden for the company, and the King formally disbanded the company on June 17, 1700 establishing direct royal rule over the Rhodes Colony, officially renamed as Rhodesia due to “Rhodesia” being already popular in common conversation.
The crown left most of the current government institutions intact, only expanding the newly renamed Rhodesian Assembly to 70 representatives. The first royal governor appointed was a certain Lord Whitmore, close advisor of the King and the former official in charge of overseeing the Royal Rhodes Company.
Whitlam set to work immediately to get the colony back to making a profit. He increased the taxes on crop sales, put duties on selling crops to nations other than England and its colonies, and put tariffs on goods imported from outside of the English crown. The Rhodesian Assembly nominally went along with the plan, mostly in order to prevent the Assembly from being dissolved. While many in the planter upper-class were displeased, the greatest part of the dissent came from the white under-class, severely affected by the duties on goods coming from outside the English crown.
7- Lancaster Rebellion
This resentment culminated in a series of attacks on government offices in Lancaster by armed militias consisting mainly of poor whites. Violence spread throughout the city as the governor’s mansion was burned along with the tax offices. Smoke could be seen for miles around billowing out of the capital.
Now the planters had as much to fear of the poor whites as the government, so they quickly organized themselves and provided aid to government forces. These planter militias, combined with bombardment from a Royal Navy cutter within the harbor, soon had the disorganized rebels fleeing and the militias dissolving. Two days after the rebellion had begun, order was restored to Lancaster, and the five main militia leaders, John Cork, William Harford, Ben Smith, Ian Fairfax, and Charles York, were put on trial and hanged soon after.
The disturbances had been solely been confined to the capital, and luckily for the planters, their white laborers did not join in the fighting. However, the rebellion was enough to scare the Assembly and the governor into action to extend voting rights to all men who were citizens of the colony.
In addition, many planters began to hire black laborers to replace their restless white laborers. Higher pay was offered to the blacks to keep them placated, and the unemployed white laborers began to head to the cities.
7- Rhodesia, 1760
By 1760, Rhodesia was a growing, fairly stable crown colony. The population had grown significantly to 576,000 colonists, with natural growth supplanting immigration as the main source of population growth. However, of these 576,000, about 50,000 could be qualified as the wealthy, ruling, planter class. The majority lived in the cities or maintained smaller farms out in the interior. A small merchant class had sprung up in Lancaster as Rhodesia became a well-travelled stopping point between South Africa and India. The Royal Navy increased its presence in Lancaster, mainly to keep tabs on Irish activities in the Indian Ocean.
Other than the few wealthy blacks who gained citizenship within the colony, the black population within the colony is unknown, as census records only measured citizen population. It can be safely said though that the tribal populations were significantly larger than the white population.
Lancaster was the largest city and the capital, just across the water from Fort Rhodes. Its population was 74,000 at the time. Most of Lancaster Harbor was fairly urbanized, but the rest of the country was for the most part rural.
8- Religion in Rhodesia, up to 1760
Rhodesia was and still is a deeply Protestant area. The refugees from both Anglo-Irish Wars were overwhelmingly Protestant, and general hostility towards Catholics kept the Catholic population very low.
In addition, since 1505, the Church of England had sent missionaries into the tribes around Rhodesia. While progress was slow, Anglican missionaries had successfully converted most of the African population within Rhodesia, however pagan and ritualistic beliefs still persisted on the edges of effective rule.
From Lancaster, the Church of England sent missionaries throughout Eastern Africa, establishing Lancaster as the main Anglican religious center in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Lancaster Cathedral was built from 1705-1707 to show the Anglican faith more openly and to serve as an official headquarters for the Anglicans in the area.
9-Establishment of the Mines
The failed attempts to extract mineral resources out of Rhodesia were legendary. They had ruined countless men and brought down the Royal Rhodes Company. Still, the knowledge of their presence meant that it was only a matter of time before some enterprising individual or group successfully established a successful mine.
To fill this role Sir George Wilmington stepped into the picture. Formerly the owner of nascent coal company in Wales, his company was seized by the Welsh government on charges of “mismanagement” in 1785. With the seizure of his company, Wilmington had little left to tie him to Wales. His family had been English, but it had stayed in Wales after the war. Most of his family was dead now, and there was still significant hostility towards the English. Therefore, he booked passage to Lancaster, Rhodesia, hearing of supposedly unexploited mineral deposits in the interior.
Arriving in Lancaster, he soon canvassed the city for information on the mines, and he obtained records of the previous failed attempts. With information in hand, he secured a loan from the Bank of Rhodesia, a government sanctioned banking institution formed in 1754, and he gathered an expedition together. Mainly using white laborers, promising a share of whatever profit was garnered, Wilmington arrived at the site of the deposits using African guides, and he founded the town of Ulster to serve as the quarters for the workers.
Prospecting soon began, and significant iron deposits were found within a week. Slowly, Wilmington set up and got his iron mine running. A road was constructed to Lancaster, and the newly mined ore began to be sent eastward. With news of the successful mine spreading like wildfire, unemployed workers began heading west to work in the mines. Tin and copper were also found soon after word, and Wilmington Rhodesia Mining started booming.
10- Tobacco in Rhodesia
For most of its history, Rhodesia had been a sugarcane area. Sugarcane was all that was grown for the most part, and planters made or lost their money on sugarcane. However, as tobacco boomed in the Kingdom of Virginia, many envious planters began to think about introducing tobacco to Rhodesia.
1771 saw the first tobacco introduced in Manchester County, with much of the land still owned by Edward Manchester’s descendents. The soil turned out to be good for tobacco, and the Manchester Estate was soon buying up as much land as possible to spread tobacco farming.
Other planters soon caught on, and tobacco was soon being grown in large amounts. However, many planters were unaware of tobaccos depleting effect on the soil, and several men were ruined by trying to grow tobacco too many seasons in a row. Still, the breakthrough had been accomplished, and tobacco was now being exported to England for processing and consumption. Rhodesian tobacco became quite well renowned for good quality throughout the tobacco market.
11- The Rhodesian Commodities Exchange
With the large amount of agricultural and mineral products being exported out of Rhodesia several investors wanted to establish a general commodities market to buy up the resources directly from the source instead of having to purchase them in England. The governor was receptive to this, seeing a possibility for another large influx of cash from possible taxes, and the Rhodesian Commodities Exchange was built in 1801 in Lancaster.
The establishment of this significant exchange for raw materials in Rhodesia precipitated a large increased in passenger shipping routes between England and Rhodesia, as well as increased merchant shipping routes to accommodate for the increased sales.
However, the exchange never developed to the size of its parent exchanges in London due to the isolation of Rhodesia.
12- The Introduction of Railroads to Rhodesia
As railroads began to crisscross Europe in the early 1800s, the applications of railroads in Rhodesia were not lost on anyone. The hitherto isolated interior of the colony and the continent could be opened up by rail service. Raw materials could be transported much quicker by railroad from the mines to the port at Lancaster. Military forces could quickly respond to threats from natives. Therefore, the Rhodesian Assembly appealed to the governor to lure a railroad company to Rhodesia to begin widespread construction.
The governor was able to secure a few experienced railroad engineers from England, while a consortium of planters provided the funding necessary to establish the Royal Rhodesian Rail Service (RRRS). The first railroad was built from Lancaster to Ulster (The WRM had a significant stake in the rail consortium) in 1836. Construction was easily on the lowland plain, but as the railroad began to ascend the highlands that Ulster was located in, construction got tougher. During the highland construction, railroad records indicate that some 200 men died as a path was paved through the mountains. After the line was complete, 5 engines and 20 cars were ordered from England. By 1845, Rhodesia had railroads going out like spokes on a wheel from Lancaster, and transportation was significantly enhanced. The RRRS maintained a monopoly on railroads in Rhodesia though, being part owned by the government and quashing most of the upstart competitors. With the significant rail network laid down, the next stage in exploring the interior could begin.
13- Zambeziland
As the interior of South Africa opened up, so did its natural resources. There was rumored to be gold and precious metals on the other side of the Williams Mountains (OTL Eastern Highlands), and individuals were soon gathering together and planning, to explore farther into the interior and claim the land for themselves. While many companies to that end were created and died swiftly, one company was able to achieve substantial success in exploring and extracting the resources of the interior.
This was the Western Zambezi African Company (WZAC). Incorporated in Lancaster in 1867 by a group of planters and mining executives, they planned to go up the Zambezi and settle the land across the Williams Mountains. They gained a royal charter allowing them to buy and sell land, trade with African rulers, maintain a police force, and have all the rights to natural resources in the areas they owned. However, they had to develop the land with settlers and with infrastructure.
To accomplish and meet these goals, the company formed the Western Zambezi African Police (WZAP), to maintain security and to protect company and settler areas. The WZAP would go on to be WZAC’s private military for all intents and purposes. Some 300 men (many having a military or security background) were recruited and organized into the 1st Battalion of the WZAP. Together with several hundred African porters, geologists, and other mining experts, the expedition set off from Westland, on the Zambezi River, northwest along the river towards uncharted land.
Following the Zambezi River did avoid the Williams Mountains for the most part, it considerably lengthened the march. However, the expedition was able to get around the mountains by December of 1867, and the expedition the headed south, away from the river, to find the rumored Gold fields. Prospecting and exploratory mines soon found significant gold deposits, and Fort Yorktown was built by company engineers to serve as the company headquarters in March 1868. Mapping expeditions were sent out to chart the whole area, named Zambeziland by WZAC.
The elation that WZAC felt after discovering significant gold deposits soon turned sour as several of the small expeditions sent out to map the land ended up killed or captured by the Mashona king, Mentabe. The king, after learning of the construction of Fort Yorktown, considered the WZAC operations as trespassing, and he soon began to raid WZAC heavily. Word was sent by telegraph to Lancaster (The expedition had been laying telegraph wire as it marched.) that the expedition was beleaguered and that aid was required. Company agents in Lancaster soon organized some 500 men equipped with new lever action rifles and Maxim guns as two new WZAP battalions and this flying column set out relieve Fort Yorktown.
With most of the area charted and WZAC way stations providing navigational aid to the relief column, Colonel David Sempford was able to get his column to Fort Yorktown 2 months after his departure from Lancaster. He dispatched the extra supplies he had brought along to the fort proper, while he gathered the remaining WZAP forces within the fort and set out in search of Mentabe. The first clash occurred south of Fort Yorktown on the Hunyani River, where Mentabe was trying to ford the significant portion of his army. Mentabe had been able to get all of his men across the river by the time the main WZAP force arrived, but Sempford was able to block Mentabe’s advance. Mentabe was not aware of the new weapons that accompanied Sempford’s force, and several thousand Mashona warriors were killed in the ensuing battle as the Mashona tried repeatedly to charge the WZAP line. The Maxims proved their worth, and Sempford pursued the defeated Mashona force, in an effort to find and destroy the main Mashona kraals.
His pursuit bore fruit, and at the Battle of Chivhu, he defeated some 4,000 Mashona warriors and then burned down the kraal. The WZAP column continued south, destroying kraals and defeating Mashona forces. Mentabe sued for peace in October 1868, and ceded most of his kingdom to WZAC. With the major native kingdom defeated, WZAC could continue to develop the mining deposits unmolested.
The Mashona War had cost WZAC a significant amount of money, but its bankrollers were willing to front the sum, and the company was given breathing time to provide a return on the gold deposits. And return it did as the company struck it rich transporting vast amounts of gold down the Zambezi River to Rhodesia. The company also began to develop other mineral deposits in the area.
The Zambezi River wasn’t always the most reliable transportation route, so WZAC constructed a railroad from Fort Yorktown to Westland. Interestingly enough, this was the first railroad constructed in Rhodesia not owned by the RRRS. The railroad brought raw materials out and people in as mining operations expanded.
In addition, WZAC began to import cattle into the plateau, as the area was very good grazing land. Cattle brought farmers, and so in addition to the company ranches, a small group of ranchers also lived in the area.
With the growth of the Zambeziland economy, Fort Yorktown was renamed Yorktown as it became a full-fledged city and grew outside of the walls of the fort. However, the city was still heavily guarded by fortification as native raids were still common.
14- To the South and to the North, the Expansion of WZAC
As the resources of Zambeziland became fully developed, WZAC looked to expand its control to the north and to the south. The land north of the Zambezi River was said to be rich in copper, but little was known about the isolated land of the Bechuana.
With the area north of the Zambezi seeming much more lucrative, WZAC sent agents to come into contact with the locals and enquire about a treaty. WZAC had learned its lesson in dealing with the natives, and the company was going to be very cautious in dealing with the natives. There was no one dominant tribe to the north, with the natives fractured into many tribes. That made the dealings much easier, as the company was able to threaten and cajole these smaller groups into selling land or giving them the rights to the land.
Once the company secured the diplomatic front with the natives, prospectors and geologists were sent in. However, it took several months to find the copper deposits, and much money was wasted in the search. This led to a smaller initial operation as smaller mines were set up to save money. While the mines were eventually successful to a large degree, WZAC was unable to get as much white immigration as they had with Zambeziland. The area was eventually named Sempfordia in honor of the now commandant of the WZAP.
The prospecting delay also allowed competition to arise to the south. The Royal Bechuanaland Company was established and granted a Royal Charter in 1874. The RBC was very careful in its relations with the Bechuana, sending many agents and building significant relations with the leaders and people of Bechuanaland. While the natural resources were not as rich, the RBC was able to attract significant white immigration to Bechuanaland and establish a thriving agricultural sector. With protection provided by the Bechuanaland Frontier Police (BFP) the RBC was able to achieve one of the few stable integrated (black/white) areas in South Africa.
15- Rhodesian Politics at the Turn of the Century
Since the formation of the Crown Colony of Rhodesia, Rhodesia has been governed by an appointed governor and the unicameral Rhodesian Assembly, consisting of 70 representatives. However, political parties did not really start to develop until around the 1860s as ideology grew in importance.
Two main political parties grew to prominence in the Assembly. The Rhodesian Protestant Union was popular with the poorer, deeply religious, small-time farmers and mine workers. While the party was deeply conservative on social matters, it advocated direct and significant government aid to miners, factory workers, and small farmers. Subsidies for unemployment and limited medical aid as well as the reduction of the power of the mining companies and the wealthy planters were the main goals of this party. However, their views on race were ambiguous, with the party being divided into factions on whether to allow blacks to vote and on integration. While their general support base was not as supportive of white minority rule as the other demographics in the country, this served to moderate the policies of the party, but did not eliminate any views.
The other main party was the National Rhodesian Coalition, mainly supported by the upper-middle and upper-classes of Rhodesia. It supported limited government intervention in all matters, leaving companies and individuals to do as they pleased. It greatly supported excluding poor whites and blacks from voting as well as supporting segregation to a degree. It also wanted lower duties and taxes on all goods. It also supported the establishment of a local Rhodesian military for self-defense and security independent of the British.
In addition, a smaller third party usually picked up a limited number of seats, the Rhodesian Republican Front. The main goal of the RRF was the elimination of British rule and the total independence of Rhodesia from the British crown. In addition to that, it was somewhat progressive in workers rights, allying with the RPU on that matter, but it was wary of too much government intervention, and it did not want any government owned companies or large bureaucracies. It also did not support a large standing Rhodesian military, seeing it as an infringement on the rights of the Rhodesians, especially the independent-minded frontier farmers who had little love for the government.
16- Rhodesia and the Great War
While neither England nor Rhodesia were officially involved in the Great War, the war had a significant impact on Rhodesia. When the war first broke out in 1909, there were significant calls for England and Rhodesia to enter the war. The Great War was seen in Rhodesia through the lens of Protestantism vs. Catholicism and Non-Christians. Anti-Catholicism never really died out in Rhodesia, and this War to Save Protestantism as the Lancaster Telegram called it stirred up the hearts of many a Rhodesian.
The French were Catholic, the Sicilians were Catholic, the Milanese were Catholic, the Serbians (Republic of Free Serbia) were Orthodox, and the Ottomans were Muslim. All those were Alliance nations. Of course the Central Powers were almost all Protestant, Carthage was Protestant, The Venetian Protestant Union was decidedly Protestant, and the Austrians were Protestant. The battle lines were clearly drawn in Rhodesia, and the newspapers rammed it in, vehemently supporting the Central Powers and criticizing the English for not joining the War to Save Protestantism. It was useless though, the English government did not care what a backwater colony in Africa thought of its foreign policy.
Some Rhodesians still were able to fight in the war though. Several formations were formed of volunteers who served in Europe fighting for Protestantism. The most prominent of these was the Rhodesian Protestant Rifles. Mainly recruited from conservative western parts of Rhodesia, three such regiments were raised by 1910. The commanders of the RPR regiments offered their services to the VPU with the blessings of the Rhodesian Assembly, and the three RPR regiments served with distinction on the Italian Front, with Venetian commanders giving high praise to the highly motivated Rhodesians, who were often used to spearhead offensives. The war took a very high toll on the 3 RPR regiments and even with additional recruitment directly from Rhodesia, by the end of the war, only one regiment of the Rhodesian Protestant Rifles was left.
A monument was built in Lancaster after the war to commemorate the soldiers of the Rhodesian Protestant Rifles, and it still stands outside of the Rhodesian Assembly building.
17- Constitutional Reform
With the large amounts of states becoming independent in the aftermath of the Great War, Republican sentiment was at high tide in Rhodesia. The Assembly elections had left the RRF with a plurality of 30 seats, with the RPU in second with 20 and the NRC in third with 17 seats, with three independents. This surprise win for the RRF led to a coalition RRF-RPU government with the main goals of increased self-government if not independence, more representation, and crack down on the companies.
While much of the RRF rhetoric on independence was softened now that they were the head of the coalition, they still immediately opened talks with the English government on the subject of increased self-government for Rhodesia. The RRF wanted the Assembly to be able to choose a Prime Minister who would be head of government, while the English governor would be reduced to ceremonial role. The current governor Lord Beresford was a Rhodesian himself and he sympathized with the RRF to a large degree. The negotiations lasted some 12 days, but the Rhodesian government was able to end up with de-facto independence (OTL Dominion status). However as a result, the Rhodesian government had to reduce the power of the WZAC and the RBC, both of those companies had to hold referendums for the populations to either establish self-government, join Rhodesia, or maintain the status quo. In addition, the Rhodesian government had to make some guarantees to works towards greater representation towards blacks. For the RRF, probably the most progressive on the matter of race relations, this was not a major problem, however there were worries that the NRC would try to stall such legislation and prevent it from getting passed.
On February 17, 1915, the treaty creating the Union of Rhodesia was signed, which is now celebrated as Union Day. The required referendums in Bechuanaland, Zambeziland, and Sempfordia, were all held in the month of March. The treaty would not go into effect until all the referendums were held though so that an appropriate constitution could be drafted for whatever turned out. Until then, Rhodesia would continue operating under the old constitution.
It’s interesting to note the differences between the referendums. In Bechuanaland, the RBC organized the election so that all males over 21 could vote. Company officials were sent to most villages to ensure that as many as Bechuanaland citizens were allowed to vote. This reflected the liberal policy of the company’s executives that had been displayed since its formation. The company itself supported joining Rhodesia, reasoning that Bechuanaland would be bolstered economically by a union with its more economically prosperous neighbors. In addition, to calm black fears of the institution of minority rule over Bechuanaland, the RBC cited statutes in the treaty that would provide for a federal form of government when it is established, allowing for the continuation of the current policies of the constituent states. Almost an entire generation had grown up under RBC rule, and this more politically and economically aware generation combined with white votes and a significant percentage of the rest of the black vote, resulted in a yes vote for Union with Rhodesia. Until a new constitution could be drafted, Bechuanaland would remain under RBC control.
In Zambeziland and Sempfordia, the situation was much different. Only whites were allowed to vote except for a few exceptions involving wealthy black landowners who had achieved full “citizen” status. The whites in Zambeziland had much of the same temperament and views as their Rhodesian cousins, and the vote was overwhelmingly for Union. In Sempfordia, the white population was miniscule, below 15,000 by some counts, but for this very reason, blacks had much more of voice in the government than in the sister state of Zambeziland. Many blacks were in the civil service, and the Sempfordian society was much more accepting of blacks. Still, the local Sempfordian administration distinguished between “tribal” blacks and “city” blacks. Those blacks who lived inside white society or so were classified as “city” blacks and allowed to vote, while those who still lived in the native villages separate from Sempfordian society were not given the right to vote. . The share of the populace voting in Sempfordia was still much, much smaller than the other voting territories, and looking back on the referendum, it is ridiculous that it was considered legitimate at all. So, the election came around and Sempfordia voted for union as well.
Now there would be four constituent states making up the Union of Rhodesia. Rhodesia, Bechuanaland, Zambeziland, and Sempfordia. It was time for a constitutional convention based on the principles outlined in the Union Treaty. Delegates from all four states converged on Lancaster to begin writing the Union Constitution. Throughout the months of May, June, and July, the Constitution was written. The key was to maintain the rights and general independence of the constituent states in the face of the federal government.
The end result was a two house system. The entire Parliament was known as the Union Parliament, with the lower house being the House of Commons and the upper house being the House of the Union.
The House of Commons would be the representative of the people. Each state would have 1 representative for every 25,000 people. Blacks and whites counted equally for this measurement. In addition, the state would be divided into electoral counties, each county having 25,000 people. One representative would come from each county. All appropriations bills had to originate in the House of Commons.
The House of Union would represent the interests of the constituent states. Each state would send six senators to the House of Union. Three senators would be selected by the state government, with the state constitutions deciding the specific mode of selection. The remaining three would be elected by all the people of the state, with the top three candidates going to the House of Union.
In other aspects, the Union Constitution was like most other Westminster systems, except for the Governor-General. The Union Constitution delegated all of the traditional roles to the Governor-General, providing for him to be appointed for the duration of a government’s rule by the monarch on the Prime Minister’s suggestion. However, as a compromise to the English, the Governor-General was expected to give or deny royal dissent critically and not be a rubber stamp.
The power of the Union Parliament was limited mainly to foreign policy an overriding national issues, with many areas of domestic policy being left to the state governments.
On July 29, 1915, the Union Constitution was signed, and all four states ratified it by December 1915. On January 17, 1915, the Union Constitution went into effect and the Union of Rhodesia officially was born.
18- Royal Rhodesian Military
With the establishment of the Union came the Constitutional requirement for the Union to maintain armed forces to defend the nation against foreign threats. States were still allowed to maintain their paramilitary forces inherited from their former owners (West Zambezi African Police, Bechuanaland Frontier Police), but responsibility for the formal military was laid on the national government.
Acts were soon passed through Parliament establishing the Royal Rhodesian Army, the Royal Rhodesian Air Force, and the Royal Rhodesian Navy.
The Royal Rhodesian Army was organized into 5 regiments for the peacetime standing army. The first regiment established was the Rhodesian Frontier Rifle Regiment, often called the Rhodesian Frontier Rifles. Most of its members were drawn from the former Rhodesian Protestant Rifles and the RFRR carried over the regiment honors of the RPR. The RFRR was the most prestigious regiment in the Rhodesian Army, and one company of it was tasked with providing the Prime Minister with security.
The 1st and 2nd Rhodesian Light Infantry Regiments provided the bulk of the regular army. Recruited extensively from the frontiersmen in Zambeziland and western Rhodesia, these men were experts in fieldcraft and infiltration. However, these two regiments and most of the Rhodesian Army suffered from an acute lack of heavy weapons.
The Union Cavalry Regiment was amalgamated together from several preexisting formations to form the Rhodesian Army’s mobile force. A, B, and C squadrons were reequipped with new English armored cars, while D and E squadrons remained horse mounted. Half of the regiment was recruited from Bechuanaland, whose Mounted Rifles had become legendary in the sporadic fighting that erupted in the Bechuanaland bush.
The last regiment was the Rhodesian Air Regiment, an elite paratrooper regiment also providing more clandestine and special forces needs to the Union. The English made CP-21 Virginia twin-engine transport provided the aerial transportation for the paratroopers. With most Rhodesians not experienced in paratrooper operations, a significant amount of the men in this regiment were drawn from foreign nations.
The Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) is a small but well trained force, mainly optimized towards ground attack and bombing operations. It is composed of three fighter-bomber squadrons and two transport squadrons.
The 1st Squadron is the best equipped squadron in the RRAF. During the formation of the RRAF, the government wished to provide at least one squadron of jet aircraft, but lacked the necessary funds. A public subscription campaign was soon started by private organizations and the necessary funds plus a discount from the English allowed the Rhodesian government to purchase some 12 P.1076 Zambezis, jet fighter-bombers from England. While the squadron is trained in ground attack measures regularly, if air-to-air operations become part of a conflict, then the 1st Squadron is the primary squadron for such operations.
The 2nd and 3rd Fighter-Bomber Squadrons were equipped with P.703 Whiplash-C the fighter-bomber variant of the P.701 Whiplash monoplane propeller fighter.
The 4th and 5th Transport Squadrons operate CP-21 Virginias. They are mainly used exclusively for the Rhodesian Air Regiment, but the C Wing of the 5th Squadron is tasked with providing government air transport.
The Royal Rhodesian Navy is the butt of many jokes within the armed forces. Consisting exclusively of small patrol craft to provide security to the Rhodesian shoreline, it is not meant to be used in conventional naval warfare.

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The Union of Rhodesia
A Comprehensive History
1 – European Arrival, Fort Rhodes
The land currently known as Rhodesia was first sighted by the English explorer Henry Lancaster after being blown off course on a voyage to India in February 1497. Of his three vessels, two were sinking, and Lancaster made landfall on the shores of a small harbor. With only one small ship left, he decided to build a fort on the island in the middle of the harbor, while the remaining ship would continue to India to get help. Fort Rhodes was soon built on the island out of local timber, named after the island in the Mediterranean.
There were some 200 men left behind in the fort, and they soon established relations with the local tribes. Several native villages dotted the shores of the harbor, and exchanges of goods and gifts between the English and the natives occurred frequently. Several of the natives spoke of great riches in the rough highlands of the interior, and several times the English exchanged for precious jewels that the natives had possessed. Many men wanted to search for these riches, but they still had to wait for Lancaster. Lancaster returned in May 1497 with two new ships and new crews. When many of the occupants of the fort wishing to stay, Lancaster took the men that wished to head back to England, and promised to dispatch new ships to help the fort with supplies.
When Lancaster returned to England, he gained royal approval to form the Royal Rhodes Company to maintain and expand the current English presence in the area. Lancaster tried to gather English subjects to bolster the population of the fort, but he could not find many, especially not many women. Still, the few supply voyages that were sent to the fort brought a few women, and the small fort grew slightly in population.
The new colony was ruled by a council of twelve, with six councilors appointed by the company and six elected by the men of the fort. This arrangement worked well for the time, and residents were allowed to do as they pleased for the most part. The company soon began to send expeditions into the interior though, and most of the men were liable for service on these expeditions. However, tales of riches were enough to entice most anyway.
However, these explorations did not turn up much, with many men dying of disease and the harsh climate. Still, the company remained optimistic, seeking to build up contacts with the locals in home of them leading them to their source for jewels. It would take a long time for these relationships to bear fruit though.
2- Anglo-Irish War and the Rhodes Colony
The First Anglo-Irish War which started around 1500 proved to be pivotal moment in the history of the Rhodes Colony. The defeat of the English by Irish Catholics made the situation of Protestants of all stripes in Ireland untenable. Violence against Protestants was quite severe in some areas, and horror stories of atrocities were enough to cause of exodus of Protestants from Ireland.
Still suffering from a lack of colonists, the Rhodes Company jumped at the chance to recruit these Protestant refugees to populate Fort Rhodes. Promises of free land for every colonist and religious freedom along with free passage led to many ships sailing off to Fort Rhodes packed full of Protestant refugees. By 1522, five years after the first war, the Rhodes Colony had a population of some 15,000 people, most living on the shores of Lancaster harbor (which surrounded Fort Rhodes Island). The company purchased land from the natives so that there would be enough land to give all the settlers the grants. Still, as the immigration boom ended, the company was having much trouble securing more land as natives became more and more distrustful of English intentions.
The large influx of landed colonists led to reform of the political system. Many of the colonists demanded political representation, and the company reformed the political system after significant protests and the threat of rebellion. The company created the Rhodes Assembly, with 50 representatives elected by all landowning males. The company had the right to dissolve or call the Assembly into session at any time, and all legislation had to be approved b y the company. Many of the poor whites were disenfranchised though due to the landowning requirement. This further created dissent which simmered in the white underclass, but under the watchful eye of company soldiers and the planters, there was little to do at the moment.
3- The Rhodesian Estates System
The land grants given to most of the colonists created a fairly large, wealthy landed class of planters. Many of the immigrants came from a poor background in Ireland, unaccustomed to managing such large estates, but those who succeeded became quite rich selling the surplus crops they had after the company took its share.
The land grants were about 35 acres per family. The company did nothing other than provide the land and take a tax of the crops that the family grew. Those colonists who were not able to successfully manage their grants had their land seized. These disenfranchised colonists were left landless, but too poor to gain passage back to England. This white underclass provided most of the initial labor to work the fields of the successful planters.
The land of the Rhodes Colony was very fertile soil, allowing for the planters to grow a significant amount of cash crops. Sugarcane was the crop of choice, but several other less prominent crops were grown. Oftentimes, planters would hire the natives as agricultural advisors to supervise the planting and aid in the cultivation of the crops. These black aides often were able to make quite a good living for themselves, some eventually assimilating into the English culture and becoming significant planters themselves.
4- Native War, 1551
After some fifty years of peace across the Rhodes Colony, war finally broke out between most of the native tribes, and the colonists. Company encroachment on tribal land, and increased use of black laborers on the estates pushed native tribes to the breaking point. The company was aware of these developments to degree, through their alliance with the Ndebele, but the company was complacent.
The first war officially started on October 7, 1551 when the planter Francis Walker and his family were murdered by a group of local warriors at night. Soon, tribes were preparing for war all around and in the Rhodes Colony, and the company and the colonists were back against the wall. Soon, white planters were organizing their workers and themselves into regiments, while the Ndebele prepared to fight for the English.
The next strike for the natives was at Manchester’s County, a large series of estates and holdings owned by Sir Edward Manchester on the borders of colonial land. Manchester had organized his workers together into a militia. He had two small cannons, and most of his men had firearms. Fortified in a palisade surrounding the main mansion and the heart of the estate, the militia were able to beat back 5 attempts by the natives to destroy the mansion. Cavalry from Lancaster soon arrived after being notified by a messenger from Manchester, and native forces were routed.
The Ndebele soon notified the company that King Tonga of the Shona was gathering several companies of warriors at his main village. The colonists decided to preempt Tonga, and a force of some 300 men was gathered. They marched to the village, confident of victory, but Tonga was aware of their movements, and he placed and ambush around the village. What happened is known as the Mamudo Massacre. All but ten of the men were killed by the native warriors. These men reported back to the company, explaining the disaster, and all of the Rhodes Colony was beset by fear. If Tonga had struck then, he may have been able to wreak havoc upon the colony, but his warriors needed to celebrate, and a great feast was held to celebrate the victory. The company used this time wisely, gathering more men and preparing to hold the colony to the last. Tonga finally came, but he was defeated two miles outside of Lancaster at the Battle of Tudor field. Various skirmishes and raids occurred over the next two months, but the war had petered out with the defeat of Tonga, and the main threat to colonial rule was gone for now.
5- Exploring the Interior
With the colony finally growing significantly in population, many of the ruling class began to want to revisit the interior once more in search of the jewels. According to the Royal Charter given to the Royal Rhodes Company, it had all rights to the natural resources of the grant, discouraging private searches initially, but with company promises of rewards, brave individuals and small parties began to search and follow native guides in search of these mines.
However, as the searches became larger and more extensive, it began to appear that the mines were very far north from Fort Rhodes. The dreams of many were crushed as it appeared impractical to establish any kind of mines in the area.
Still, all was not lost. Deposits of iron were found to the west, and trading posts were set up by many of the expeditions throughout the interior, expanding English rule throughout the interior.
6- Second Anglo-Irish War, the Second Exodus
The last 50 years of the 16th century were stable and quite for the Rhodes Colony until 1598, the start of the Second Anglo-Irish War. First news of the war came about two months after the actual start, carried by an English trader going to India. The direct threat from Ireland was fairly slim, but with Irish trade routes going to the East Indies, several privateers were fitted out in Lancaster harbor and these ships raided Irish shipping and carried back significant riches to Lancaster and the Rhodes Colony.
However, as the war began to draw to a close and the Irish gained superiority, the Irish attempted to take Fort Rhodes with a small expedition. Five Irish men o’ war entered Lancaster harbor on January 7, 1610 and bombarded Fort Rhodes for six hours. Fort Rhodes, recently rebuilt as a stone star fort, was able withstand the bombardment and the attempt by Irish marines to seize the fort failed. The Irish left the harbor without any success, and news of peace soon arrived in the Rhodes Colony.
The defeat of the English in this war was even more devastating than in the last. Cornwall and Wales were ripped from England, and most of England had been occupied before the war ended. This was had refugees just like the previous war, and with many families wanting to escape war torn England for a better life, they had the choice of either Virginia or the Rhodes Colony. With North America subject to many of the same European powers, the Rhodes Colony was the choice of many looking to escape the entanglements of the European wars. In a company census conducted in 1640, the population of the entire Rhodes Colony had reached some 80,000 persons. While the land grant system was no longer in effect, many were able to find work either in the fields or in the developing urban area around Lancaster.
In addition, England began to pay attention to what few colonies it had left after the devastating war. With the mineral deposits of the Rhodes Colony beginning to be exploited, the loss of the colony to an enemy, especially Ireland would be devastating. So, England began to send more royal funds to the Rhodes Colony to bolster defense, and to help develop and jumpstart the mining industry. In addition, the crown began to supervise the company much more directly; reviewing its finances and making sure it complied with royal decree.
6 – Establishment of Direct Royal Rule, End of the Company
The Royal Rhodes Company’s large investment into mining the iron deposits that had been discovered had turned very sour. Hostile natives and transportation problems led to several failed attempts to begin mining, and the companies finances were in ruins by 1700. The cost of supporting the ever crowing colony was too much of a burden for the company, and the King formally disbanded the company on June 17, 1700 establishing direct royal rule over the Rhodes Colony, officially renamed as Rhodesia due to “Rhodesia” being already popular in common conversation.
The crown left most of the current government institutions intact, only expanding the newly renamed Rhodesian Assembly to 70 representatives. The first royal governor appointed was a certain Lord Whitmore, close advisor of the King and the former official in charge of overseeing the Royal Rhodes Company.
Whitlam set to work immediately to get the colony back to making a profit. He increased the taxes on crop sales, put duties on selling crops to nations other than England and its colonies, and put tariffs on goods imported from outside of the English crown. The Rhodesian Assembly nominally went along with the plan, mostly in order to prevent the Assembly from being dissolved. While many in the planter upper-class were displeased, the greatest part of the dissent came from the white under-class, severely affected by the duties on goods coming from outside the English crown.
7- Lancaster Rebellion
This resentment culminated in a series of attacks on government offices in Lancaster by armed militias consisting mainly of poor whites. Violence spread throughout the city as the governor’s mansion was burned along with the tax offices. Smoke could be seen for miles around billowing out of the capital.
Now the planters had as much to fear of the poor whites as the government, so they quickly organized themselves and provided aid to government forces. These planter militias, combined with bombardment from a Royal Navy cutter within the harbor, soon had the disorganized rebels fleeing and the militias dissolving. Two days after the rebellion had begun, order was restored to Lancaster, and the five main militia leaders, John Cork, William Harford, Ben Smith, Ian Fairfax, and Charles York, were put on trial and hanged soon after.
The disturbances had been solely been confined to the capital, and luckily for the planters, their white laborers did not join in the fighting. However, the rebellion was enough to scare the Assembly and the governor into action to extend voting rights to all men who were citizens of the colony.
In addition, many planters began to hire black laborers to replace their restless white laborers. Higher pay was offered to the blacks to keep them placated, and the unemployed white laborers began to head to the cities.
7- Rhodesia, 1760
By 1760, Rhodesia was a growing, fairly stable crown colony. The population had grown significantly to 576,000 colonists, with natural growth supplanting immigration as the main source of population growth. However, of these 576,000, about 50,000 could be qualified as the wealthy, ruling, planter class. The majority lived in the cities or maintained smaller farms out in the interior. A small merchant class had sprung up in Lancaster as Rhodesia became a well-travelled stopping point between South Africa and India. The Royal Navy increased its presence in Lancaster, mainly to keep tabs on Irish activities in the Indian Ocean.
Other than the few wealthy blacks who gained citizenship within the colony, the black population within the colony is unknown, as census records only measured citizen population. It can be safely said though that the tribal populations were significantly larger than the white population.
Lancaster was the largest city and the capital, just across the water from Fort Rhodes. Its population was 74,000 at the time. Most of Lancaster Harbor was fairly urbanized, but the rest of the country was for the most part rural.
8- Religion in Rhodesia, up to 1760
Rhodesia was and still is a deeply Protestant area. The refugees from both Anglo-Irish Wars were overwhelmingly Protestant, and general hostility towards Catholics kept the Catholic population very low.
In addition, since 1505, the Church of England had sent missionaries into the tribes around Rhodesia. While progress was slow, Anglican missionaries had successfully converted most of the African population within Rhodesia, however pagan and ritualistic beliefs still persisted on the edges of effective rule.
From Lancaster, the Church of England sent missionaries throughout Eastern Africa, establishing Lancaster as the main Anglican religious center in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Lancaster Cathedral was built from 1705-1707 to show the Anglican faith more openly and to serve as an official headquarters for the Anglicans in the area.
9-Establishment of the Mines
The failed attempts to extract mineral resources out of Rhodesia were legendary. They had ruined countless men and brought down the Royal Rhodes Company. Still, the knowledge of their presence meant that it was only a matter of time before some enterprising individual or group successfully established a successful mine.
To fill this role Sir George Wilmington stepped into the picture. Formerly the owner of nascent coal company in Wales, his company was seized by the Welsh government on charges of “mismanagement” in 1785. With the seizure of his company, Wilmington had little left to tie him to Wales. His family had been English, but it had stayed in Wales after the war. Most of his family was dead now, and there was still significant hostility towards the English. Therefore, he booked passage to Lancaster, Rhodesia, hearing of supposedly unexploited mineral deposits in the interior.
Arriving in Lancaster, he soon canvassed the city for information on the mines, and he obtained records of the previous failed attempts. With information in hand, he secured a loan from the Bank of Rhodesia, a government sanctioned banking institution formed in 1754, and he gathered an expedition together. Mainly using white laborers, promising a share of whatever profit was garnered, Wilmington arrived at the site of the deposits using African guides, and he founded the town of Ulster to serve as the quarters for the workers.
Prospecting soon began, and significant iron deposits were found within a week. Slowly, Wilmington set up and got his iron mine running. A road was constructed to Lancaster, and the newly mined ore began to be sent eastward. With news of the successful mine spreading like wildfire, unemployed workers began heading west to work in the mines. Tin and copper were also found soon after word, and Wilmington Rhodesia Mining started booming.
10- Tobacco in Rhodesia
For most of its history, Rhodesia had been a sugarcane area. Sugarcane was all that was grown for the most part, and planters made or lost their money on sugarcane. However, as tobacco boomed in the Kingdom of Virginia, many envious planters began to think about introducing tobacco to Rhodesia.
1771 saw the first tobacco introduced in Manchester County, with much of the land still owned by Edward Manchester’s descendents. The soil turned out to be good for tobacco, and the Manchester Estate was soon buying up as much land as possible to spread tobacco farming.
Other planters soon caught on, and tobacco was soon being grown in large amounts. However, many planters were unaware of tobaccos depleting effect on the soil, and several men were ruined by trying to grow tobacco too many seasons in a row. Still, the breakthrough had been accomplished, and tobacco was now being exported to England for processing and consumption. Rhodesian tobacco became quite well renowned for good quality throughout the tobacco market.
11- The Rhodesian Commodities Exchange
With the large amount of agricultural and mineral products being exported out of Rhodesia several investors wanted to establish a general commodities market to buy up the resources directly from the source instead of having to purchase them in England. The governor was receptive to this, seeing a possibility for another large influx of cash from possible taxes, and the Rhodesian Commodities Exchange was built in 1801 in Lancaster.
The establishment of this significant exchange for raw materials in Rhodesia precipitated a large increased in passenger shipping routes between England and Rhodesia, as well as increased merchant shipping routes to accommodate for the increased sales.
However, the exchange never developed to the size of its parent exchanges in London due to the isolation of Rhodesia.
12- The Introduction of Railroads to Rhodesia
As railroads began to crisscross Europe in the early 1800s, the applications of railroads in Rhodesia were not lost on anyone. The hitherto isolated interior of the colony and the continent could be opened up by rail service. Raw materials could be transported much quicker by railroad from the mines to the port at Lancaster. Military forces could quickly respond to threats from natives. Therefore, the Rhodesian Assembly appealed to the governor to lure a railroad company to Rhodesia to begin widespread construction.
The governor was able to secure a few experienced railroad engineers from England, while a consortium of planters provided the funding necessary to establish the Royal Rhodesian Rail Service (RRRS). The first railroad was built from Lancaster to Ulster (The WRM had a significant stake in the rail consortium) in 1836. Construction was easily on the lowland plain, but as the railroad began to ascend the highlands that Ulster was located in, construction got tougher. During the highland construction, railroad records indicate that some 200 men died as a path was paved through the mountains. After the line was complete, 5 engines and 20 cars were ordered from England. By 1845, Rhodesia had railroads going out like spokes on a wheel from Lancaster, and transportation was significantly enhanced. The RRRS maintained a monopoly on railroads in Rhodesia though, being part owned by the government and quashing most of the upstart competitors. With the significant rail network laid down, the next stage in exploring the interior could begin.
13- Zambeziland
As the interior of South Africa opened up, so did its natural resources. There was rumored to be gold and precious metals on the other side of the Williams Mountains (OTL Eastern Highlands), and individuals were soon gathering together and planning, to explore farther into the interior and claim the land for themselves. While many companies to that end were created and died swiftly, one company was able to achieve substantial success in exploring and extracting the resources of the interior.
This was the Western Zambezi African Company (WZAC). Incorporated in Lancaster in 1867 by a group of planters and mining executives, they planned to go up the Zambezi and settle the land across the Williams Mountains. They gained a royal charter allowing them to buy and sell land, trade with African rulers, maintain a police force, and have all the rights to natural resources in the areas they owned. However, they had to develop the land with settlers and with infrastructure.
To accomplish and meet these goals, the company formed the Western Zambezi African Police (WZAP), to maintain security and to protect company and settler areas. The WZAP would go on to be WZAC’s private military for all intents and purposes. Some 300 men (many having a military or security background) were recruited and organized into the 1st Battalion of the WZAP. Together with several hundred African porters, geologists, and other mining experts, the expedition set off from Westland, on the Zambezi River, northwest along the river towards uncharted land.
Following the Zambezi River did avoid the Williams Mountains for the most part, it considerably lengthened the march. However, the expedition was able to get around the mountains by December of 1867, and the expedition the headed south, away from the river, to find the rumored Gold fields. Prospecting and exploratory mines soon found significant gold deposits, and Fort Yorktown was built by company engineers to serve as the company headquarters in March 1868. Mapping expeditions were sent out to chart the whole area, named Zambeziland by WZAC.
The elation that WZAC felt after discovering significant gold deposits soon turned sour as several of the small expeditions sent out to map the land ended up killed or captured by the Mashona king, Mentabe. The king, after learning of the construction of Fort Yorktown, considered the WZAC operations as trespassing, and he soon began to raid WZAC heavily. Word was sent by telegraph to Lancaster (The expedition had been laying telegraph wire as it marched.) that the expedition was beleaguered and that aid was required. Company agents in Lancaster soon organized some 500 men equipped with new lever action rifles and Maxim guns as two new WZAP battalions and this flying column set out relieve Fort Yorktown.
With most of the area charted and WZAC way stations providing navigational aid to the relief column, Colonel David Sempford was able to get his column to Fort Yorktown 2 months after his departure from Lancaster. He dispatched the extra supplies he had brought along to the fort proper, while he gathered the remaining WZAP forces within the fort and set out in search of Mentabe. The first clash occurred south of Fort Yorktown on the Hunyani River, where Mentabe was trying to ford the significant portion of his army. Mentabe had been able to get all of his men across the river by the time the main WZAP force arrived, but Sempford was able to block Mentabe’s advance. Mentabe was not aware of the new weapons that accompanied Sempford’s force, and several thousand Mashona warriors were killed in the ensuing battle as the Mashona tried repeatedly to charge the WZAP line. The Maxims proved their worth, and Sempford pursued the defeated Mashona force, in an effort to find and destroy the main Mashona kraals.
His pursuit bore fruit, and at the Battle of Chivhu, he defeated some 4,000 Mashona warriors and then burned down the kraal. The WZAP column continued south, destroying kraals and defeating Mashona forces. Mentabe sued for peace in October 1868, and ceded most of his kingdom to WZAC. With the major native kingdom defeated, WZAC could continue to develop the mining deposits unmolested.
The Mashona War had cost WZAC a significant amount of money, but its bankrollers were willing to front the sum, and the company was given breathing time to provide a return on the gold deposits. And return it did as the company struck it rich transporting vast amounts of gold down the Zambezi River to Rhodesia. The company also began to develop other mineral deposits in the area.
The Zambezi River wasn’t always the most reliable transportation route, so WZAC constructed a railroad from Fort Yorktown to Westland. Interestingly enough, this was the first railroad constructed in Rhodesia not owned by the RRRS. The railroad brought raw materials out and people in as mining operations expanded.
In addition, WZAC began to import cattle into the plateau, as the area was very good grazing land. Cattle brought farmers, and so in addition to the company ranches, a small group of ranchers also lived in the area.
With the growth of the Zambeziland economy, Fort Yorktown was renamed Yorktown as it became a full-fledged city and grew outside of the walls of the fort. However, the city was still heavily guarded by fortification as native raids were still common.
14- To the South and to the North, the Expansion of WZAC
As the resources of Zambeziland became fully developed, WZAC looked to expand its control to the north and to the south. The land north of the Zambezi River was said to be rich in copper, but little was known about the isolated land of the Bechuana.
With the area north of the Zambezi seeming much more lucrative, WZAC sent agents to come into contact with the locals and enquire about a treaty. WZAC had learned its lesson in dealing with the natives, and the company was going to be very cautious in dealing with the natives. There was no one dominant tribe to the north, with the natives fractured into many tribes. That made the dealings much easier, as the company was able to threaten and cajole these smaller groups into selling land or giving them the rights to the land.
Once the company secured the diplomatic front with the natives, prospectors and geologists were sent in. However, it took several months to find the copper deposits, and much money was wasted in the search. This led to a smaller initial operation as smaller mines were set up to save money. While the mines were eventually successful to a large degree, WZAC was unable to get as much white immigration as they had with Zambeziland. The area was eventually named Sempfordia in honor of the now commandant of the WZAP.
The prospecting delay also allowed competition to arise to the south. The Royal Bechuanaland Company was established and granted a Royal Charter in 1874. The RBC was very careful in its relations with the Bechuana, sending many agents and building significant relations with the leaders and people of Bechuanaland. While the natural resources were not as rich, the RBC was able to attract significant white immigration to Bechuanaland and establish a thriving agricultural sector. With protection provided by the Bechuanaland Frontier Police (BFP) the RBC was able to achieve one of the few stable integrated (black/white) areas in South Africa.
15- Rhodesian Politics at the Turn of the Century
Since the formation of the Crown Colony of Rhodesia, Rhodesia has been governed by an appointed governor and the unicameral Rhodesian Assembly, consisting of 70 representatives. However, political parties did not really start to develop until around the 1860s as ideology grew in importance.
Two main political parties grew to prominence in the Assembly. The Rhodesian Protestant Union was popular with the poorer, deeply religious, small-time farmers and mine workers. While the party was deeply conservative on social matters, it advocated direct and significant government aid to miners, factory workers, and small farmers. Subsidies for unemployment and limited medical aid as well as the reduction of the power of the mining companies and the wealthy planters were the main goals of this party. However, their views on race were ambiguous, with the party being divided into factions on whether to allow blacks to vote and on integration. While their general support base was not as supportive of white minority rule as the other demographics in the country, this served to moderate the policies of the party, but did not eliminate any views.
The other main party was the National Rhodesian Coalition, mainly supported by the upper-middle and upper-classes of Rhodesia. It supported limited government intervention in all matters, leaving companies and individuals to do as they pleased. It greatly supported excluding poor whites and blacks from voting as well as supporting segregation to a degree. It also wanted lower duties and taxes on all goods. It also supported the establishment of a local Rhodesian military for self-defense and security independent of the British.
In addition, a smaller third party usually picked up a limited number of seats, the Rhodesian Republican Front. The main goal of the RRF was the elimination of British rule and the total independence of Rhodesia from the British crown. In addition to that, it was somewhat progressive in workers rights, allying with the RPU on that matter, but it was wary of too much government intervention, and it did not want any government owned companies or large bureaucracies. It also did not support a large standing Rhodesian military, seeing it as an infringement on the rights of the Rhodesians, especially the independent-minded frontier farmers who had little love for the government.
16- Rhodesia and the Great War
While neither England nor Rhodesia were officially involved in the Great War, the war had a significant impact on Rhodesia. When the war first broke out in 1909, there were significant calls for England and Rhodesia to enter the war. The Great War was seen in Rhodesia through the lens of Protestantism vs. Catholicism and Non-Christians. Anti-Catholicism never really died out in Rhodesia, and this War to Save Protestantism as the Lancaster Telegram called it stirred up the hearts of many a Rhodesian.
The French were Catholic, the Sicilians were Catholic, the Milanese were Catholic, the Serbians (Republic of Free Serbia) were Orthodox, and the Ottomans were Muslim. All those were Alliance nations. Of course the Central Powers were almost all Protestant, Carthage was Protestant, The Venetian Protestant Union was decidedly Protestant, and the Austrians were Protestant. The battle lines were clearly drawn in Rhodesia, and the newspapers rammed it in, vehemently supporting the Central Powers and criticizing the English for not joining the War to Save Protestantism. It was useless though, the English government did not care what a backwater colony in Africa thought of its foreign policy.
Some Rhodesians still were able to fight in the war though. Several formations were formed of volunteers who served in Europe fighting for Protestantism. The most prominent of these was the Rhodesian Protestant Rifles. Mainly recruited from conservative western parts of Rhodesia, three such regiments were raised by 1910. The commanders of the RPR regiments offered their services to the VPU with the blessings of the Rhodesian Assembly, and the three RPR regiments served with distinction on the Italian Front, with Venetian commanders giving high praise to the highly motivated Rhodesians, who were often used to spearhead offensives. The war took a very high toll on the 3 RPR regiments and even with additional recruitment directly from Rhodesia, by the end of the war, only one regiment of the Rhodesian Protestant Rifles was left.
A monument was built in Lancaster after the war to commemorate the soldiers of the Rhodesian Protestant Rifles, and it still stands outside of the Rhodesian Assembly building.
17- Constitutional Reform
With the large amounts of states becoming independent in the aftermath of the Great War, Republican sentiment was at high tide in Rhodesia. The Assembly elections had left the RRF with a plurality of 30 seats, with the RPU in second with 20 and the NRC in third with 17 seats, with three independents. This surprise win for the RRF led to a coalition RRF-RPU government with the main goals of increased self-government if not independence, more representation, and crack down on the companies.
While much of the RRF rhetoric on independence was softened now that they were the head of the coalition, they still immediately opened talks with the English government on the subject of increased self-government for Rhodesia. The RRF wanted the Assembly to be able to choose a Prime Minister who would be head of government, while the English governor would be reduced to ceremonial role. The current governor Lord Beresford was a Rhodesian himself and he sympathized with the RRF to a large degree. The negotiations lasted some 12 days, but the Rhodesian government was able to end up with de-facto independence (OTL Dominion status). However as a result, the Rhodesian government had to reduce the power of the WZAC and the RBC, both of those companies had to hold referendums for the populations to either establish self-government, join Rhodesia, or maintain the status quo. In addition, the Rhodesian government had to make some guarantees to works towards greater representation towards blacks. For the RRF, probably the most progressive on the matter of race relations, this was not a major problem, however there were worries that the NRC would try to stall such legislation and prevent it from getting passed.
On February 17, 1915, the treaty creating the Union of Rhodesia was signed, which is now celebrated as Union Day. The required referendums in Bechuanaland, Zambeziland, and Sempfordia, were all held in the month of March. The treaty would not go into effect until all the referendums were held though so that an appropriate constitution could be drafted for whatever turned out. Until then, Rhodesia would continue operating under the old constitution.
It’s interesting to note the differences between the referendums. In Bechuanaland, the RBC organized the election so that all males over 21 could vote. Company officials were sent to most villages to ensure that as many as Bechuanaland citizens were allowed to vote. This reflected the liberal policy of the company’s executives that had been displayed since its formation. The company itself supported joining Rhodesia, reasoning that Bechuanaland would be bolstered economically by a union with its more economically prosperous neighbors. In addition, to calm black fears of the institution of minority rule over Bechuanaland, the RBC cited statutes in the treaty that would provide for a federal form of government when it is established, allowing for the continuation of the current policies of the constituent states. Almost an entire generation had grown up under RBC rule, and this more politically and economically aware generation combined with white votes and a significant percentage of the rest of the black vote, resulted in a yes vote for Union with Rhodesia. Until a new constitution could be drafted, Bechuanaland would remain under RBC control.
In Zambeziland and Sempfordia, the situation was much different. Only whites were allowed to vote except for a few exceptions involving wealthy black landowners who had achieved full “citizen” status. The whites in Zambeziland had much of the same temperament and views as their Rhodesian cousins, and the vote was overwhelmingly for Union. In Sempfordia, the white population was miniscule, below 15,000 by some counts, but for this very reason, blacks had much more of voice in the government than in the sister state of Zambeziland. Many blacks were in the civil service, and the Sempfordian society was much more accepting of blacks. Still, the local Sempfordian administration distinguished between “tribal” blacks and “city” blacks. Those blacks who lived inside white society or so were classified as “city” blacks and allowed to vote, while those who still lived in the native villages separate from Sempfordian society were not given the right to vote. . The share of the populace voting in Sempfordia was still much, much smaller than the other voting territories, and looking back on the referendum, it is ridiculous that it was considered legitimate at all. So, the election came around and Sempfordia voted for union as well.
Now there would be four constituent states making up the Union of Rhodesia. Rhodesia, Bechuanaland, Zambeziland, and Sempfordia. It was time for a constitutional convention based on the principles outlined in the Union Treaty. Delegates from all four states converged on Lancaster to begin writing the Union Constitution. Throughout the months of May, June, and July, the Constitution was written. The key was to maintain the rights and general independence of the constituent states in the face of the federal government.
The end result was a two house system. The entire Parliament was known as the Union Parliament, with the lower house being the House of Commons and the upper house being the House of the Union.
The House of Commons would be the representative of the people. Each state would have 1 representative for every 25,000 people. Blacks and whites counted equally for this measurement. In addition, the state would be divided into electoral counties, each county having 25,000 people. One representative would come from each county. All appropriations bills had to originate in the House of Commons.
The House of Union would represent the interests of the constituent states. Each state would send six senators to the House of Union. Three senators would be selected by the state government, with the state constitutions deciding the specific mode of selection. The remaining three would be elected by all the people of the state, with the top three candidates going to the House of Union.
In other aspects, the Union Constitution was like most other Westminster systems, except for the Governor-General. The Union Constitution delegated all of the traditional roles to the Governor-General, providing for him to be appointed for the duration of a government’s rule by the monarch on the Prime Minister’s suggestion. However, as a compromise to the English, the Governor-General was expected to give or deny royal dissent critically and not be a rubber stamp.
The power of the Union Parliament was limited mainly to foreign policy an overriding national issues, with many areas of domestic policy being left to the state governments.
On July 29, 1915, the Union Constitution was signed, and all four states ratified it by December 1915. On January 17, 1915, the Union Constitution went into effect and the Union of Rhodesia officially was born.
18- Royal Rhodesian Military
With the establishment of the Union came the Constitutional requirement for the Union to maintain armed forces to defend the nation against foreign threats. States were still allowed to maintain their paramilitary forces inherited from their former owners (West Zambezi African Police, Bechuanaland Frontier Police), but responsibility for the formal military was laid on the national government.
Acts were soon passed through Parliament establishing the Royal Rhodesian Army, the Royal Rhodesian Air Force, and the Royal Rhodesian Navy.
The Royal Rhodesian Army was organized into 5 regiments for the peacetime standing army. The first regiment established was the Rhodesian Frontier Rifle Regiment, often called the Rhodesian Frontier Rifles. Most of its members were drawn from the former Rhodesian Protestant Rifles and the RFRR carried over the regiment honors of the RPR. The RFRR was the most prestigious regiment in the Rhodesian Army, and one company of it was tasked with providing the Prime Minister with security.
The 1st and 2nd Rhodesian Light Infantry Regiments provided the bulk of the regular army. Recruited extensively from the frontiersmen in Zambeziland and western Rhodesia, these men were experts in fieldcraft and infiltration. However, these two regiments and most of the Rhodesian Army suffered from an acute lack of heavy weapons.
The Union Cavalry Regiment was amalgamated together from several preexisting formations to form the Rhodesian Army’s mobile force. A, B, and C squadrons were reequipped with new English armored cars, while D and E squadrons remained horse mounted. Half of the regiment was recruited from Bechuanaland, whose Mounted Rifles had become legendary in the sporadic fighting that erupted in the Bechuanaland bush.
The last regiment was the Rhodesian Air Regiment, an elite paratrooper regiment also providing more clandestine and special forces needs to the Union. The English made CP-21 Virginia twin-engine transport provided the aerial transportation for the paratroopers. With most Rhodesians not experienced in paratrooper operations, a significant amount of the men in this regiment were drawn from foreign nations.
The Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) is a small but well trained force, mainly optimized towards ground attack and bombing operations. It is composed of three fighter-bomber squadrons and two transport squadrons.
The 1st Squadron is the best equipped squadron in the RRAF. During the formation of the RRAF, the government wished to provide at least one squadron of jet aircraft, but lacked the necessary funds. A public subscription campaign was soon started by private organizations and the necessary funds plus a discount from the English allowed the Rhodesian government to purchase some 12 P.1076 Zambezis, jet fighter-bombers from England. While the squadron is trained in ground attack measures regularly, if air-to-air operations become part of a conflict, then the 1st Squadron is the primary squadron for such operations.
The 2nd and 3rd Fighter-Bomber Squadrons were equipped with P.703 Whiplash-C the fighter-bomber variant of the P.701 Whiplash monoplane propeller fighter.
The 4th and 5th Transport Squadrons operate CP-21 Virginias. They are mainly used exclusively for the Rhodesian Air Regiment, but the C Wing of the 5th Squadron is tasked with providing government air transport.
The Royal Rhodesian Navy is the butt of many jokes within the armed forces. Consisting exclusively of small patrol craft to provide security to the Rhodesian shoreline, it is not meant to be used in conventional naval warfare.

[Finn]

But do they have laserbeamsharkheadsonastick?

[LightInfa]

But do they have laserbeamsharkheadsonastick?

Unfortunately, the English government is unwilling to release such classified and highly advanced technology to its dominions.

[LightInfa]

Republic of Rhodesia
Leader: Prime Minister Richard Whitefield (RF)
Capital: Salisbury
Population: 16,349,000 total, 18% White (3,000,000)
Major Cities: Salisbury, Bulawayo, Fort Victoria
Religion: Mostly Anglican, with small minorities of tribal religions.
Economics: The Rhodesian economy is mainly based off of agriculture (in the form of large white-owned ranches and large-scale farming operations), and mining. A favorable business climate in Rhodesia has also attracted many financial institutions into Salisbury.
History:

Republic of Rhodesia 1973-2008


1 - Turning the Tide

The insurgency in Rhodesia had been relatively quiet after the initial surge after the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Both ZANLA and ZPRA were not conducting significant operations, and the Rhodesian government was complacent. However, a new phase in the Bush War began in 1973, as the insurgents started a new campaign and changed the course of the war.

Insurgent forces attacked white homesteads, launched kidnappings and massively intesified the war. The government and the white populace were at first slow to accept this change in the war, half believing that the black insurgents were not capable of such ability, but the government and the military slowly came to see that this was no longer the quiet little war that was only read in the papers. This was a total war, on every space of Rhodesia, a war for the survival of the Republic.

Slowly but surely, government forces came to realize that the same old tactics would not work. Casaulty rates were irrelevant in the face of the massive numbers of insurgents present. The black population had to be won over and controlled. If the majority of blacks turned against the government, the war would become unwinnable. With this vision of the apocalypse in the minds of all the government and military, it was time for new tactics, new ideas, and new strategies.

To control and win over the population, the government and military began a program to concentrate the rural black population in Protected Villages. These were communities separated from the countryside by fences and other obstacles, separating the people from the rebels. However, if this radical move had to be seen by the populace as an increase in living standards and a better area to live in overall, or there would be major backlash. So, the government built these villages with schools, better public works, and other more modern living conditions. Villages and communities were moved en masse to these new PVs, and while there were some complications during the movement itself, the operation went off smoothly.

However, even though the population was beginning to regard the moves as a betterment, there were the problems of security. The military did not want to have to strip units from the field to guard these villages, so some new organization had to be established to guard and secure the PVs. While an attempt was made to make a separate 'Guard Force' within the Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide security, a poor raport with the villagers and low manpower doomed this to failure.

Therefore the government decided to empower the people of the PVs to provide their own security, forming Security Force Auxiliaries. The SFA units were recruited from within the PVs and trained and armed by the Rhodesian military. While an attempt to recruit former insurgents into these units, this was largely seen as a failure, with the numbers of turned insurgents being below one hundred. Still, the SFAs were a success for the most part, with insurgent activity within the PVs being reduced significantly, and terrorist activities being pushed farther and farther into depopulated bush where the Rhodesian Security Forces operated without restriction.

A new focus in external operations was also set. Most of the insurgent bases were in bordering countries and territories, and they received most of their support there. The Zambian government provided significant aid and protection to ZPRA forces, while the FRELIMO insurgents in Portuguese controlled Mozambique was perfectly integrated with ZANLA insurgents with both organizations operating together. In Mozambique, Rhodesian and Portuguese forces worked together as much as possible to destroy the insurgents in Mozambique, while Rhodesian forces often launched attacks on ZPRA forces within Zambia.

Previously, these attacks had been focused directly on insurgent bases and forces, with ground and air raids on the training camps. However, as insurgents improved their base layout, dispersing structures and putting up fortified bunkers throughout these dispersed base areas. These led to increased casualties and lowered gains, leading to a digression from direct assaults on insurgents. Instead, it was decided to attack logistical areas and cripple the host country's support for the insurgents.

Zambia, a landlocked country, was particulary vulnerable to such attacks, with the destruction of raillines and bridges forcing Zambia to rely more and more on routes through Rhodesia for imports and exports, comprimising the government position.

As Mozambique gained independence from Portugual in 1976, these operations began to be extended to Mozambique, with railroads to the frontier with Rhodesia being hit and port facilities also being attacked. These strategies put pressure on all the frontline states, who increasingly put pressure on the insurgents they hosted. As insurgent victories and successes increasingly became a uncommon occurence, it was harder and harder for host nations to jusify the costs of hosting the rebels.
ZANLA was the first organization to fold. Bearing most of the weight of the insurgency while ZPRA built up its forces in Zambia, high casualties and increasingly less support in Zimbabwe itself led to the collapse of the organization, the nail in the coffin being the assassination of Robert Mugabe by the Selous Scouts.

Meanwhile, ZPRA, financed and equipped by Angola and the USSR was preparing to launch a conventional assault on Rhodesia. Large numbers of insurgents and heavier equipment made this operation a significant threat to Rhodesia and could possibly break the back of the Security Forces. However, Rhodesian forces were kept aware of developments and were aware of most of the operations details. Increased air attacks on ZPRA concentrations helped to disrupt the build up, but Rhodesian forces also began to take up positions along the Zambezi River.

The offensive finally came in the October of 1979, but Rhodesian forces were prepared and ZPRA forces were broken by the third week of the offensive. Zambian and Soviet support soon disappeared. The Bush War had been won.

2- Reform and Rebuilding

With the war over for the most part, it was time to bring the nation back to normalcy. Protected Villages were opened up, and the government provided money and other aid to rural blacks to help reeastablish the old villages. Often, the walls of the Protected Villages were just torn down, and villagers remained within the confines of the old PVs, taking advantage of the better infrastructure and standard of living.

In addition, demobilization proceeded, with reservists and Territorial Army soldiers heading back home for the most part. Weapons were mothballed and even some regular army units were disbanded. Vigilance still had to be kept though, as no one wanted another insurgent outbreak.

The victory was bittersweet to an extent though. International recognition was still lacking except for South Africa, who extended recognition in 1980. Isolated and cut off, many Rhodesians were bitter at the international community, yet for the most part, whites were prosperous. Rhodesia continued its profitable exports, and government coffers swelled.

In addition, the Rhodesian Front introduced a degree of political reform to the government, increasing the number of black seats to a significant 45% of the seats, although white minority rule remained solidly in place with 55% of the seats allocated to whites. International recognition was predictably withheld at what was seen as a meaningless reform.

This constitutional change still precipitated a new election, which would be fought on completely new ground with the war over and new matters taking precedence in the electorate. May 1980 would be the date for the election. The House of Assembly had a total of 120 seats under the new changes, with 66 of these reserved for whites and 54 reserved for blacks. However, unlike the previous system, half of the black seats were not chosen by an electoral college of chiefs, as all black seats would be voted on by the black electorate. The Rhodesian Front was the heavy favorite in the election, but a newly formed National Federated Party, a more liberal coalition of blacks and whites mounted a serious challenge on the white roll, and was a strong party on the black roll. In addition, the mainly black African Unity Council was seen as the favorite for black votes. When the results came in, the Rhodesian Front got 55 votes, with the NFP getting the remaining 11 white votes, while the AUC got 30 of the black votes and the NFP got the remaining 24 black votes. This led to a total of RF - 55, NFP - 35, AUC - 30.

The election was a disaster for Rhodesian Front. They had lost their majority and a possibly NFP-AUC coalition could put them in the opposition. Additionally, an NFP-AUC coalition could possibly end white majority rule and usher in more reform deemed dangerious by Ian Smith and the Rhodesian Front. That coalition did indeed form, being led by Dr. Ahrn Palley, head of the NFP, who became Prime Minister. Ian Smith became leader of the opposition.

3 - NFP Coalition

Even with hopes high at the victory of moderates, the NFP-AUC coalition did not have a 2/3 majority necessary to amend the constitution to institute majority rule. Smaller more limited reforms still were passed though, especcially on the topic of land reform. Blacks were no longer confined to the tribal trust lands, as some of the more fertile lands owned mainly by whites were opened up to black purchase. In addition, the government began to subsidize more black farmers and focused more aid on the black population in health and sanitation.

The government still lacked international recognition, even with blacks within the ruling coalition. The distribution of black and white reserved seats was generally unsatisfactory, although the NFP regime was in general more acceptable to foreign governments. The NFP, although more liberal, still was very anti-communist, and this led to clandestine support from the US via other countries, which saw Rhodesia as a counterbalance to the communist regimes in southern and central Africa. Usually via Israel, the US provided military aid and equipment to Rhdoesia.
Ultimately, the Coalition had to talk with the Rhodesian Front if it wanted to push through some of its more far reaching reforms towards majority rule. Smith wanted international recognition as much as the Coalition did, and he realized that to achieve that he had to allow majority rule in some way, shape, or form. Smith's plan was to use his leverage in controlling the necessary votes to extract as much power as possible for whites in a majority rule situation.

And so the negotiations dragged on, a grueling back and forth between the Rhodesian Front and the Coalition. Smith could only compromise so much before his backbenchers revolted, and the Coalition wanted to have enough of a reform to be meaningful. Eventually, it was decided to create a two roll system. There would be a white roll, consisting of 50 seats, and a common roll, consisting of 70 seats. Non-whites could only vote on the common roll, while whites could either vote on the white roll or the common roll but not both. It was a bitter pill for Premier Palley, but it was majority rule nonetheless, and it was a step in the right direction.
The amendment went to the Assembly, where it passed 90-30, with many Rhodesian Front backbenchers voting against the agreement. While it wasn't as unanimous as hoped, it ensured that the amendment would be passed to referendum. The referendum went to ballot on August 18, 1982 and passed handily, although the white vote was split about evenly for and against.

4 - Towards International Recognition

With majority rule now in place, to a degree, the government made a major push to get recognition from the world. Dr. Palley himself went on missions to Britain and the US, talking with both President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher. While the response to his tour was generally favorable, both leaders made no hard promises for recognition. Several nations, such as Spain and Israel, did extend recognition to Rhodesia even before any official moves from the major powers. The US did recognize Rhodesia in late 1983, soon followed by Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth. These recognitions did not come without some concessions, though. Some trading concessions as well as the allowing of American and British observers into Rhodesia were several trade-offs made by the Rhodesian government.

The next major step was to get rid of UN sanctions against the government. The UN still had not admitted Rhodesia by 1984, so the government had to work through surrogates to achieve its aims. The UN is a slow-moving body, and it took time for the proposal to work its way through the system, but the sanctions had been lifted by 1986, to the betterment of Rhodesians everywhere.

5- Economic Resurgence

With most of the world recognizing the Rhodesian regime, and with the UN lifting the sanctions on Rhdoesia, the floodgates were let open on economic investement and evelopment.

Rhodesia had already been one of the stronger states economically in Africa, so the development and investment would raise Rhodesia’s economy to unprecedented levels.

Regardless of what whites though of the political reforms, they were pleased at the new economic opportunities created by the recognition and the lifting of sanctions. While there had been fears of wide scale white emigration from Rhodesia with the enactment of majority rule, economic enticement was able to keep most whites in place, and it even began to create more white immigration into Rhodesia, many seeking wealth and fortune.

With increased white immigration, the white share of the population rose, and more money and capital was brought into the nation, further fueling the economic surge. The government also lowered taxes on businesses, luring many foreign firms into Rhodesia looking for favorable business conditions. These companies brought employees, and Salisbury was soon experiencing a construction boom. These late ‘80s were heady times indeed for Rhodesia.

However, many in the Coalition, mainly AUC members, were concerned that most of the wealth was concentrated in white hands. They pressured their coalition partners, the NFP, to create programs and initiatives to encourage and develop black businesses and economic ventures.

The NFP while reluctant to a degree, eventually agreed to support such measures, and in the face of severe Rhodesian Front opposition, legislation was passed creating several of the proposed programs. These programs created an even more favorable tax situation for black businesses, lowering taxes further across several categories. In addition, the government also provided loans on favorable terms to both businesses and individuals with the goal of infusing much needed capital into the black community.

6- Rhodesia in 2008

By 2008 Rhodesia had established itself as one of the premier nations in Africa. Its economy was a powerhouse, built upon strong mining and agriculture, as well as the strong financial institutions of Salisbury.

Blacks in Rhodesia have a significantly higher standard of living than other blacks on the continent, with a strong urban based middle-class and small-time farmers.
In the government, the number of reserved white seats has slowly been drawn down to the current level of twenty seats within the Assembly. However, whites still enjoy significant representation on the common roll, as many white politicians are well respected in the black community.

The country is currently rule by the Republican Front, the descendent of the Rhodesian Front. While still appealing mainly to whites, the RF has managed to broaden its base to be seen as the mainstream right-wing party in Rhodesia. Leading the government as Prime Minister is Mr. Richard Whitefield, a descendent of one of the old settler families and a moderate within the RF.

The NFP and AUC, still in an alliance uniting left-moderate voters, is currently in the opposition, devastated by several prominent corruption scandals.

[Aozhouhuaren]

A very interesting read indeed, I quite enjoy it and look forward to the direction of it.

One issue I have with is the format, the history of 1973-2008 was fine, but the installments before that one were quite hard on the eyes. It seemed to be presented in one congealed mass, it was very hard to read. You should have more space between paragraphs and the sub-segments.

[LightInfa]

A very interesting read indeed, I quite enjoy it and look forward to the direction of it.

One issue I have with is the format, the history of 1973-2008 was fine, but the installments before that one were quite hard on the eyes. It seemed to be presented in one congealed mass, it was very hard to read. You should have more space between paragraphs and the sub-segments.

Actually, the block I just posted is a different TL than the Union of Rhodesia one. I just post stuff here because formatting often gets messed up when I copy and paste from Word and Wordpad, so I get it formatted correctly here and then post it in the appropriate spots. However, I can send you a link to the properly formatted Union of Rhodesia scenario. I'm glad you're enjoying them though.

[LightInfa]

Actually, the block I just posted is a different TL than the Union of Rhodesia one. I just post stuff here because formatting often gets messed up when I copy and paste from Word and Wordpad, so I get it formatted correctly here and then post it in the appropriate spots. However, I can send you a link to the properly formatted Union of Rhodesia scenario. I'm glad you're enjoying them though.

Here's the link to a post with a map of the Union of Rhodesia that also contains a link to the history:

http://alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=1890996&postcount=3741