1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The stay in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to this 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: History class, a show that opens the book of history 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: and rips out a page. Today is April. The day 5 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 1: was April eighteenth, nineteen eighty. Zimbabwe was established when the 6 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: Crown Colony of Southern Rhodesia gained independence from Britain. In 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: the eighteen hundreds, British and Afrikaan or hunters, traders, prospectors 8 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: and missionaries from the South began moving north into the 9 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: land that composes modern day Zimbabwe. By the eighteen eighties, 10 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: Cecil Rhodes had formed the British South Africa Company. Some 11 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: of his goals were to encourage immigration, colonization, trade and commerce. 12 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: It was expected to treaties, promulgate laws, and maintain a 13 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: police force, among other responsibilities. Basically, it aimed to bring 14 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: British rule into Central Africa without creating new responsibilities or 15 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: expenses for the British government. The company was given prospecting 16 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: and mining rights by the Undabille king Lobanoula. That meant 17 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: it had mineral rights in Modabilee Land and Undabilee dominated 18 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: Mashona Land, so in eighteen ninety Roads sent in a 19 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: party of colonists from Bechuana Land, which was a protectorate 20 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,479 Speaker 1: in Southern Africa. They began prospecting for gold, and by 21 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety one Mashona Land and Modabilee Land were declared 22 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: British protectorates. Over the next several years, Europeans began to 23 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: colonize the region. War broke out between the Debiley Kingdom 24 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: and the British South Africa Company in eighteen ninety three 25 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: and lasted until eighteen ninety four. Another conflict between the 26 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,279 Speaker 1: two sides took place from eighteen ninety six to eighteen 27 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: ninety seven. The Shona people as well joined in on 28 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: this uprising against the British South Africa Company. But after 29 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 1: this conflict, the entire region up to the Zombiesi River 30 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: came under the control of the company. The area became 31 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: known as Southern Rhodesia. Colonists in the area demanded representation 32 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: in the Legislative Assembly, which by nineteen oh three was 33 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: made up of seven officials from the British South Africa 34 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: Company and seven electric colonists. When the company's twenty five 35 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: year charter was about to expire in nineteen fourteen, the 36 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: colonists convinced the British government to extend the charter for 37 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: ten years. In nineteen three, Southern Rhodesia became a self 38 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: governing Crown colony. Three decades later, the UK established the 39 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. It was made up of 40 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The federation had its 41 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: own assembly and prime Minister. Many Africans in Nyasaland and 42 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: Northern Rhodesia opposed the federation, as Southern Rhodesia was overwhelmingly 43 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: European and racially segregated, though some groups supported the federation. 44 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: The late nineteen fifties saw the growth of movements for 45 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: national liberation. As people in Nyasa Land, Northern Rhodesia and 46 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: Southern Rhodesia began demanding independence from British rule. Pressure to 47 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: break up the Federation escalated. The federation was formally dissolved 48 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: at the end of nineteen sixty three. Nyasa Land achieved 49 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: full independence in July of nineteen sixty four and became 50 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: the Republic of Malawi. Northern Rhodesia became independent the same 51 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: year and was renamed Zambia, but in Southern Rhodesia, Ian 52 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: Smith formed a new party called the Rhodesian Front, which 53 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: promoted white supremacist policies and advocated for an independent Rhodesia 54 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: governed by the white minority. By April of nineteen sixty four, 55 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: Smith was a Prime Minister of Rhodesia, which was again 56 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: acting as a self governing colony. After failing to get 57 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: the British government to grant Rhodesia independence under guaranteed white 58 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: minority rule, Smith's government decided to do so itself and 59 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: published the Unilateral Declaration of Independence or u d I. 60 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: After years of conflict and negotiation between Britain, the White 61 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: Rhodesian government, and nationalist movement leaders, Smith was pressured into concessions. 62 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 1: The u d I was overturned and Britain briefly retook 63 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: control of Southern Rhodesia as a colony in nineteen seventy nine, 64 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: but elections were held in February of nineteen eighty and 65 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: the country gained international recognition as the independent Zimbabwe on 66 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: April eighteenth, nineteen eighty. Robert Mugabi became the country's Prime minister. 67 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: In the following years, Zimbabwe saw droughts, massacres, economic crisis 68 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: as well as social movements. For chain, I'm Eves deaf 69 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: Coote and hopefully you know a little more about history 70 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And if you are so compelled, 71 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: you can send us a note on social media. We're 72 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: at t d i h C Podcast on Facebook, Instagram 73 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: and Twitter, and if you want to, you can send 74 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: us a note via email at this day at I 75 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 1: heart media dot com. I hope you all are doing well. 76 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening to the show and we'll see 77 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 78 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 79 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.