A COUNTRY BETWEEN TWO FLAGS - Part 4
SEVERAL PLANS for a consolidation of the natural and economic resources in the British territories of South-Central Africa had been formulated, examined and discarded long before the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was created after many years of preparatory work on the spot and in Britain.
The failure of the Federation after 10 years is now so much water under the bridge, but at the time its creation was hailed as a magnificent experiment in multi-racialism and a possible blueprint for co-operation between white and non-white beyond the borders of the two Rhodesias and Nyasaland.
In 1960 a London publisher wrote: ... “. . . The Federation is one of the most important countries in Africa south of the Sahara. . . its economic potential is unlimited, while the social development of its seven million African people, many of whom are only now emerging from the primitive outlook and living conditions, is being watched with considerable interest in most civilised countries in the world".
The whole had been greater than the sum of its parts; the fragments meant very little.
It is too soon to forecast accurately the evils-or the possible benefits?which the Federation's dissolution could still bring to Zambia aQd Nyasaland-two countries of widely different economic structure, being led along divergent paths by dictators.
They worked hard to break the Federation and they succeeded. They forgot however, the African saying that "a three-legged pot cannot stand on two legs," and they may one day regret the destruction of that unit, which brought economic stability and a better life to many people.
Then came World War Two.
For the third time in 40 years Rhodesia in 1939 mobilized her men and women of all races. So great was the rush of volunteers that the Government had .to Introduce conscription-to keep key people on the land and in industry. This had probably never happened before in the history of modern warfare.
Despite these restrictions, Rhodesia, on a pro-rata population basis, contributed more fighting men than any other Commonwealth country.
Nearly 15 per cent of the small white population went to war. Nearly a tenth of her 10,000 service personnel were killed or died on active service.
The setback to the economy was not as severe as it had been after World War One, but it meant that the country had to take a deep breath and start again from a long way back. . What might be called the "military aspect” of the Rhodesian scene in 1969, including the respect with which the BSA Police are regarded by all sectors of the community, undoubtedly stems from the discipline and traditions which were imported in 1890 and toughened during the testing times of the Matabele and Mashona rebellions.
Top: Southern Rhodesia Delegates to the Victoria Falls Conference
Below: Governors of The Federation and its member countries
Lord Malvern & Sir Roy Welensky share an umbrella in 1960
