colony · Central and Southern Africa
Southern Rhodesia
Origins
In a 1922 referendum the settlers of the British South Africa Company's southern territory rejected union with South Africa. On 1 October 1923 Britain annexed it as the self-governing Colony of Southern Rhodesia, with Charles Coghlan as its first premier and Salisbury as its capital, ending Company rule in Rhodesia.
Rule and society
A small white electorate controlled parliament, while Britain kept rarely used reserve powers over African affairs. The Land Apportionment Act of 1930 divided land by race, giving the best farmland to whites. Godfrey Huggins, prime minister from 1933 to 1953, led the colony through rapid growth based on tobacco, mining and white immigration after 1945, while African nationalism grew through the 1950s.
Decline and legacy
Southern Rhodesia led the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953 to 1963. The Rhodesian Front won power in 1962, and on 11 November 1965 Ian Smith's government declared independence unilaterally, creating Rhodesia.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Southern Rhodesia was a colony of British Empire1923 CE – 1965 CE
- Southern Rhodesia was part of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland1953 CE – 1963 CE
More states of Central and Southern Africa →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Southern Rhodesia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-rhodesia
- MLA
- “Southern Rhodesia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-rhodesia. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Southern Rhodesia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-rhodesia.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Southern Rhodesia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/southern-rhodesia (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻