Rhodesia joins South Africa

David T, on this scale where would you rank the Confederacy, Imperial Japan, National Socialist Germany, and sundown towns in the northern United States? Would you reevaluate the position of 1950s South Africa and Rhodesia?

You're taking it too literally. My point was that as of, say, 1960 South Africa and Rhodesia were both very racist, but Rhodesia a bit less so.
 
I have read that Smuts was planning to bring displaced persons from Europe to settled in South Africa. These people could not go back home since the Soviet Union had overran their homes. If this immigration had happened, then the United Party would have been stronger.

Your quite right. There was also an attempt to expand the native franchise to nine white members, as well as to integrate the mixed race colored community. By 1961, coloreds would have the right according to UP policy to stand for parliament.

Yeah, IIRC they even had a fleet of ships that they put together to bring new white immigrants from Europe to the Union. I recall one estimate that South Africa's population may have been a quarter white if he had his way. The butterflies from that are impossible to predict.

Smuts wanted to do a lot of things that would have basically ensured the Nats never got into power, from allowing coloureds more representation to ending a variance that disproportionately advantaged the Afrikaaner political bloc. The National Party regard 1948 as a must-win election for this reason. Unfortunately, they won.
 
Lesotho didn't became a part of South Africa despite being surrounded by it , any reason why Botswana would be ?

Lesotho was tiny and didn't have much going for it. I think the British tried to hand administration over to the South Africans at one point though.

Botswana has coal and is much larger. I could see the place being made into a protectorate of South Africa perhaps.
 
You're taking it too literally. My point was that as of, say, 1960 South Africa and Rhodesia were both very racist, but Rhodesia a bit less so.

Rhodesia was weird and very very bad, but at least the Rhodesians had the decency to try to pretend like they weren't a bunch of racists (unconvincingly, obviously). I can't see the Rhodesians supporting Grand Apartheid.

A stronger UP means everybody who isn't black gets the franchise and there's more European immigration. I could see there being a shift by the 60s to allow some Africans who meet some kind of land, income, or education requirement to vote and serve in office as well (like in historic Rhodesia IIRC).

Not nice, but it beats Apartheid (which again is not saying very much).
 
The question are what expanding the franchise to Coloured people would have done to South Africa, I'm not sure in the long term it would have weaken the Nat. In fact in Cape Province it would give Afrikaans speakers a very clear majority.
 
So instead of Apartheid, you will have Rhodesian/Cape colony form of racisme. Even with additionele white settlement, it will more or less even out with additionele Black population of Rhodesia.

A more pro British South Africa will lead to more transfers from the British. Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland are likely added to South Africa. Jan Smith also wanted part or entire Mozambique, but it is likely just a pipe dream. The guy was also dreaming expanding all the way to Kenya. But this all depends if the British believe the South Africans are loyal. South west Africa depends more if they officially annex it. Which before ww2. Should be easily done, why it was delayed till after ww2 is a question.
 
The question are what expanding the franchise to Coloured people would have done to South Africa, I'm not sure in the long term it would have weaken the Nat. In fact in Cape Province it would give Afrikaans speakers a very clear majority.

I doubt Coloureds even if Afrikaans speakers. While the most speak with a dialect of there own. Will vote for a party that wants take away there rights that separate them from Black Africans. If there vote matter depends. In 1908 there was already a few additionele restrictions. Further restricted by sex-, education-, and wealth-based qualifications, while 1937 there was a white universele voting right.
 
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