Rhodesia: Unilateral Declaration of Independence

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0101 ICS 83
Held at	: Institute of Commonwealth Studies   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/resources/library ›
Full title	: Rhodesia: Unilateral Declaration of Independence
Date(s)	: 1964-1967
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 1 box
Name of creator(s)	: Government of Rhodesia
Detailed catalogue	: Click here to view repository detailed catalogue

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

British settlement in the area began in the 1830s, and Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company assumed control in the 1890s. Britain took over administration from the Company in 1923 and granted self-government to white colonists. Southern Rhodesia federated in 1953 with Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland with a view to achieving independence as a unified country. The Federation dissolved in 1963, and the three constituent countries pursued separate paths to independence. Britain rejected independence for the white Southern Rhodesia regime in 1964, and the government unilaterally declared independence (UDI) in 1965 as Rhodesia. British colonial rule was briefly reimposed in 1979 in order to achieve a settlement, and independence was granted in 1980 under black majority rule as Zimbabwe.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers concerning Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), 1964-1967; comprising copy of the Proclamation of Independence, Nov 1965; letters regarding sanctions, and democracy in Rhodesia; message from the Prime Minister of Rhodesia (Ian Smith) to the African people of Rhodesia regarding independence; press cuttings, mainly from the Rhodesia Herald, Nationalist, The Observer (London) and the Sunday Times (London).

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

1 box

Conditions governing access:

Open although advance notice should be given. Access to individual items may be restricted under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act.

Conditions governing reproduction:

A photocopying service is available, at the discretion of the Library staff. Copies are supplied solely for research or private study. Requests to publish, or to quote from, original material should be submitted to the Information Resources Manager.

Finding aids:

Catalogued to item level (see link to repository catalogue).

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

The source of acquisition by ICS is not known.

Allied Materials

Related material:

ICS holds a number of collections containing material on Rhodesian politics including African National Congress (ICS 1), Ignatius Chigwendere (ICS 12), Canon Leslie Gready (ICS 25), Joe Kennedy (ICS 42), Tim Matthews (ICS 54), Anthony McAdam (ICS 50), Southern Rhodesia Legal Aid and Welfare Fund (ICS 107), Kenneth Manyonda (ICS 108), D D E Mutasa (ICS 91), Miles Pedder (ICS 58), Rhodesia Constitutional Conference, 1979 (ICS 64), Rhodesia: Pearce Commission, 1972 (ICS 60), Southern Rhodesia: Ministry of Justice (ICS 53) and Southern Rhodesia: Ministry of Native Affair (ICS 78).

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Compiled by Alan Kucia as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Rules or conventions:
General International Standard Archival Description ISAD(G), 2nd edition, 2001. National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Oct 2001