Rhodesian front
The Rhodesian Front (abbreviated RF , dt. Rhodesian Front ) was a political party in Rhodesia . With its chairman, Ian Smith , it ruled the country from 1962 to 1979 as a de facto unity party .
The Rhodesian Front emerged from the Dominion Party , which opposed the transfer of government responsibility to the black majority of the population in what was then the British colony of Southern Rhodesia . The party came into conflict with the mother country, which wanted to grant its colony independence only if the African majority population would participate in power. When no agreement was reached on this matter, Southern Rhodesia declared itself independent on November 11, 1965 without the consent of the United Kingdom.
In the de facto independent, but internationally not recognized Republic of Rhodesia, the RF ruled practically unlimited for 14 years as a de facto unity party, with Ian Smith as Prime Minister. The main point of the program was the preservation of the rule of the white minority "for a thousand years". In elections, thanks to the majority vote and the extensive exclusion of the African population, she always received all seats in parliament.
In 1979, after years of guerrilla warfare, general elections were held for the first time and power in the country was ceded to the black majority population. Until 1987, the RF continued to win the majority of the 20 parliamentary seats reserved for whites in the transitional constitution.
In 1981 the party changed its name to Republican Front and in 1984 to Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe .
literature
- Peter Godwin , Ian Hancock : 'Rhodesians Never Die'. The Impact of War and Political Change on White Rhodesia, c.1970-1980 Baobab Books, Harare 1995 ISBN 978-0-90-831182-8