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British South Africa Company (BSAC)
Rhodes' British South Africa Company (BSA) gains a British mandate to colonize what becomes Southern Rhodesia. This company was originally formed after the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd had initially formed these companies to exploit raw minerals from the country. -
White Settlement
Backed by a royal charter from Britain's Queen Victoria, white settlers arrive from the south at site of future capital -
Land Appointment Act
This act restricted blacks access to land, forcing the black majority into smaller, and agriculturally unsuitable land. The best land was allocated to whites; less than one-third went to Africans, while about one-fifth remained unassigned. -
Creation of Central African Federation
Britain creates the Central African Federation (Federation of Rhodesia), made up of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi). This unit ended on the 31st of December, 1963, after Zambia and Malawi gained independence -
Black opposition to colonial rule grows.
Emergence in the 1960s of nationalist groups - the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) and the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu). ZAPU and its military wing ZPRA, with Joshua Nkomo as its leader, based in Zambia. The other nationalist party was the Zimbabwean African National Union (ZANU) and its military wing was the Zimbabwean African National Liberation Army (ZANLA). The idea of these groups was off the bt -
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain
Zimbabwe becomes autonomous and is led by a white segregationist government after Ian Douglas Smith made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain. Smith unilaterally declares independence under white minority rule, sparking international outrage and economic sanctions. -
Guerrilla war against white
Government opposition parties, Zanu and Zapu operated out of Zambia and Mozambique to form military forces against the regime. -
Negotiations
Smith yields to pressure for negotiated settlement. Elections for transitional legislature boycotted by Patriotic Front made up of Zanu and Zapu. New government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, fails to gain international recognition. Civil war continues.
