republic · Central and Southern Africa

Zimbabwe Rhodesia

1979 CE – 1979 CE · capital Salisbury

The short-lived state of 1979 created by the Internal Settlement, with a black prime minister but whites still holding key powers.

Origins

Under the Internal Settlement of 1978 between Ian Smith and moderate African leaders, elections with universal suffrage were held in April 1979. Rhodesia was renamed Zimbabwe Rhodesia on 1 June 1979, with Bishop Abel Muzorewa as prime minister and Josiah Zion Gumede as president.

Rule and society

The constitution reserved 28 of 100 parliamentary seats for whites and left the army, police, judiciary and civil service in white hands. The Patriotic Front of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, excluded from the elections, kept fighting, and no country recognised the new state.

Decline and legacy

Talks at Lancaster House in London produced an agreement in December 1979. The state returned to British rule under Lord Soames, and after elections won by Mugabe's ZANU-PF the country became independent as Zimbabwe on 18 April 1980.

Lineage

Rhodesia 1965 CE – 1979 CEZimbabwe RhodesiaSouthern Rhodesia 1923 CE – 1965 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zimbabwe Rhodesia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zimbabwe-rhodesia
MLA
“Zimbabwe Rhodesia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zimbabwe-rhodesia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Zimbabwe Rhodesia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zimbabwe-rhodesia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zimbabwe Rhodesia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zimbabwe-rhodesia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻