- In full:
- Ian Douglas Smith
- Died:
- November 20, 2007, Cape Town, S.Af. (aged 88)
Ian Smith
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Who was Ian Smith?
Ian Smith (1919ā2007) was the first native-born prime minister of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). As an advocate of white rule, he declared Rhodesia's independence in 1965, withdrawing it from the British Commonwealth.
Smith served as prime minister from 1964 to 1979. His government tightened controls on the political opposition. In 1965, after failed attempts to negotiate independence with Britain, Smith's government announced the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI). The UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Rhodesia.
Guerrilla activity by Black Rhodesians escalated in the 1970s, which led Smith to negotiate with Black leader Bishop Muzorewa in 1977. This led to a transfer of power to Black Africans.
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What country did Ian Smith lead as prime minister?
Ian Smith was the prime minister of Southern Rhodesia, later known as Rhodesia, a region in south-central Africa that is now divided into Zimbabwe and Zambia. In April 1964, Smith became the prime minister of Southern Rhodesia. In 1965, he unilaterally declared Rhodesia's independence from Britain. From May to December 1979, Smith served as minister without portfolio in the Black majority government of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.
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When was Ian Smith prime minister of Rhodesia?
Ian Smith, born April 8, 1919, was the first native-born prime minister of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He took office in April 1964. Smith, an ardent advocate of white rule, declared Rhodesiaās independence from the British Commonwealth on November 11, 1965, a move known as the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI).
International response to the UDI was strong. Great Britain refused to accept it, and the UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Rhodesia at Britainās request. Smith then severed all ties with the Commonwealth.
Amid escalating guerrilla activity led by Black nationalists, Smith negotiated with Bishop Muzorewa in 1977, initiating a transfer of power to Black Africans. Smith remained prime minister until May 1979 and then served as minister without portfolio in the Black majority government of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia from May to December 1979.
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What major decision did Ian Smith make in 1965 about Rhodesia's independence?
In 1965, Ian Smith, the prime minister of Southern Rhodesia, declared Rhodesia's independence from Great Britain on November 11. This was known as the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI). Smith's decision was driven by his determination to maintain white-minority rule in the country. Britain refused to accept this declaration, and Rhodesia was subsequently withdrawn from the British Commonwealth. The UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Rhodesia.
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How did Ian Smith's policies affect the people living in Rhodesia?
Ian Smith's policies as Prime Minister of Rhodesia significantly impacted the people living there. Smith, a strong proponent of white rule, declared Rhodesia's independence in 1965, an act that Britain refused to accept.
His government enacted policies that furthered white minority rule, resembling those of South Africa at the time. Though Rhodesia had a seemingly non-discriminatory voting system, less than 1% of Africans could vote.
These policies, coupled with the suppression of Black African nationalists, led to increased guerrilla activity and a civil war. The economy suffered, and many white citizens emigrated. Though Smith eventually negotiated a transfer of power, the conflict and inequality persisted, leaving a legacy of violence and trauma.
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What was the international response to Ian Smith's leadership and Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence?
As prime minister of Southern Rhodesia, Ian Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965 triggered international condemnation. Britain refused to accept it, and the UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Rhodesia in 1966, which were broadened in 1968. Though intended to pressure Smith's government, these sanctions were undermined by support from South Africa, Portugal, and some multinational corporations. Despite diplomatic, military, and economic pressure, Smith continued to negotiate for a settlement that would guarantee minority rule.
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Ian Smith (born April 8, 1919, Selukwe, Rhodesia [now Shurugwi, Zimbabwe]ādied November 20, 2007, Cape Town, S.Af.) was the first native-born prime minister of the British colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and an ardent advocate of white rule, who in 1965 declared Rhodesiaās independence and its subsequent withdrawal from the British Commonwealth.
Smith attended local schools and entered Rhodes University in Grahamstown (now Makhanda), South Africa. He interrupted his studies in 1939 to join the Royal Air Force, and, as a fighter pilot in World War II (1939ā45), he was shot down twice. After completing his work at the university, Smith was elected to the Southern Rhodesian Assembly in 1948. He joined the governing Federal Party when the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was formed in 1953. By 1958 Smith had become chief government whip in Parliament, but when the Federalists supported a new constitution allowing greater representation for Black Africans in Parliament, Smith founded the Rhodesian Front (1961) and attracted white-supremacist support. Promising independence from Britain with a government based upon the white minority, his party won a surprise victory in the election of 1962.
When in April 1964 Smith became prime minister of Southern Rhodesia (the Federation had been dissolved in 1963), his first official act was to authorize the arrest and banishment of four Black African nationalists. The disorders that followed were suppressed with police action. When the Commonwealth prime ministersā conference met in July 1964, Smith refused to discuss a new constitution that would lead to eventual Black-majority rule. Further negotiations with Britain proved futile, and on November 11, 1965, Smith unilaterally declared Rhodesiaās independence (referred to as the Unilateral Declaration of Independence, or UDI). Great Britain refused to accept Rhodesian independence, and, at Britainās request, economic sanctions against Rhodesia were applied by the UN Security Council. Smith then severed all ties with the Commonwealth. A referendum was held in Rhodesia on June 20, 1969, regarding the adoption of a constitution that would enshrine political power in the hands of the white minority and establish Rhodesia as a republic; Rhodesiaās predominantly white electorate overwhelmingly approved both measures. The constitution was passed by Parliament in November, and on March 2, 1970, Rhodesia declared itself a republic.
In the early 1970s, Black Rhodesian guerrilla activity against the government escalated, led by the Patriotic Front, a coalition of the forces of Black nationalists Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. From 1972 they conducted their activities from bases in Mozambique, and Smith countered with vigorous retaliatory measures with the Rhodesian armed forces. The economy suffered steadily because of the percentage of government funds invested in military support, and the steady increase in guerrilla action was accompanied by a flow of white emigration from Rhodesia.
Smith was compelled finally in 1977 to negotiate with the moderate Black leader Bishop Muzorewa. A transfer of power in the government to the Black Africans was initiated in 1978, and Smith was a member of the Transitional Executive Council that oversaw the process. He remained prime minister until May 1979 and then served as minister without portfolio in the Black majority government of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia from May to December 1979. Smith continued to serve in Parliament until 1987.
In 1992 Smith led the United Front, a coalition of his party (now known as the Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe) and Black parties opposed to Mugabeās policies. His involvement in the coalition was short-lived, however, and by the end of the decade he had largely retired from active national politics. His autobiography, The Great Betrayal: The Memoirs of Ian Douglas Smith, was published in 1997.