Imperialism in Rhodesia

Lexi Bowman
 Political Causes
Britain wanted to expand and gain territory to be more
powerful.Sense of nationalism and pride
Being able to expand allowed for an increase in power for
Britain. They were able to gain a larger, stronger military and
have new harbors and port sites for the navy. This
guaranteed national security for Britain.
 Political Consequences
Gained a more structural source of government and
political system.
The idea of nationalism was introduced and Africans took
to it, but it did bring revolutions, some good and some
bad.
Nationalism was positive for Africans, for it gave them
national pride and they wanted to control and have
power, but it was negative for colonialists because they
were slowly losing power.
 Economic Causes
Britain wanted raw materials and wanted more to fuel their industry. They knew
of the rich land Rhodesia had and exploited it mainly for gold, copper, and
diamonds.
The industry grew, producing and mining more than before, and there were
more jobs for Africans. Craft industries were wiped out by the larger ones.
Wanted to create a market for their manufactured goods like clothes, guns,
beads and glass ware.
Wanted to invest their surplus capital in East Africa for high profits, so they
invested in mining and farming.
Manual labor was traded for machines which left many in Europe unemployed,
coming to Rhodesia was a start for a new job market.
Cheap labor also helped create more jobs
Established a global economy and a good flow of trade
 Economic Consequences
Rhodesians were forced into jobs such as: factory work
and mining. These were unnatural and challenging jobs
for Rhodesians because they were never exposed to
this line of work.
The British tried to have Rhodesians buy their goods to
boost their economy, but these Africans were to poor to
afford these luxurious items.
The British did have some success, having direct control of
the economy, however, Africans had no control and
were forced into jobs and to buy items.
 Social Causes
Britain had become overpopulated and wanted to expand.
Medicine and science were brought down to Rhodesia by
the British.
In the 1900s, realism became a popular style of writing.
Many British brought this new style to Africa, trying to
influence them on modern ways. The British wanted to
use their modern day lifestyle along with ideas, beliefs,
and culture to force upon the Rhodesians.
Social Consequences
The standard of living increased when the British came and
introduced medicine, ways to stay healthy, and new foods.
It was able to distinguish the difference between the rich and
the poor. The rich were colonists, while the poor were
generally always the Rhodesians.
New ideas, beliefs, and customs that were introduced forced
Africans to change their lifestyles to adapt to the ones the
British forced on them. Lost their identity.
Rhodesians lived in huts, while Europeans lived in houses.
Treatment of Natives
Natives werent treated the best they could have been. Britains knew to be
humane, for they were exploiting and impeding on their land. However, an
incident in 1935 left 13 workers for dead after a coal mine exploded. Conditions
in coal mines were rough,dangerous, and unhealthy. It goes to show that their
lives werent the biggest concern. Natives also had no say in what went on.
They were controlled by the British directly, meaning they were forced to do
something. The British also made it evident who the rich was compared to the
poor. Rhodesians also received very low wages. Strikes began to occur more
frequently and Rhodesians started to become and unruly and gave the British a
hard time for the treatment they received. However, Rhodesians were well
respected for the land they had, for it was rich in minerals and sat upon a
plateau. Other than that, the natives were treated poorly.
 Racism
Overall,racism was present at this time. The British treated the Africans very
poor. They came and took over their land and wouldnt let the Rhodesians have
it back, they were forced to live in small huts and be separate from the whites,
who lived in large houses, and Africans were denied basic human rights, along
with the right to vote. They believed that whites were superior and Africans were
nothing. They were not well respected and disliked by many.
 Better off Before or After?
Although the British introduced new ideas and modernized Rhodesia, they were
better before. The British took over their land and stripped them of natural
resources. The boundaries were all changed from the Berlin Conference. In all
of Africa, 10-15 million Africans were shipped all over to aid other countries.
Rhodesians, along with other African tribes were treated poorly and faced with
racism from the Europeans. Their land was taken and given to
Europeans.Taxes were forced upon Africans as well. Revolts began to occur
more frequently too. Chief Bambatha organized a revolt against the British to
gain back land and get rid of taxes, but they were defeated. Close by to
Rhodesia, in 1901-1902 the British torched 30,000 farms and sent women and
kids to concentration camps, where 25,000 died. The Europeans treated
Africans horribly, they changed their calm lifestyle, and impeded on their land.
Africans would have been better off without imperialism.
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