Rhodesia: Last Outpost of the British Empire 1890-1980, by Peter Baxter

Rhodesia: Last Outpost of the British Empire 1890-1980, by Peter Baxter. Galago Publishing 2nd edition. Alberton, South Africa, 2010. ISBN 9781919854281 / ISBN 978-1-919854-28-1

Images from Peter Baxter's book Rhodesia: Last Outpost of the British Empire 1890-1980.

From Peter Baxter's history book "Rhodesia: Last Outpost of the British Empire 1890-1980" the following text is taken from the chapter "A liberal experiment: The rise and fall of Garfield Todd".

Peter Baxter  

A liberal experiment: The rise and fall of Garfield Todd

Huggins' elevation to the higher podium of the Federal executive opened the way for a realignment of the political landscape in Southern Rhodesia. Within the sudden leadership vacuum, created by the formation of the Federal Government, the territory briefly took a new and unexpected ideological direction. The pivotal 1948 general election in Southern Rhodesia introduced a handful of new faces into the Legislature, all of whom were to influence the critical years ahead in one way or another. One such newcomer, Humphrey Gibbs, tentatively entered the political arena as the United Party member for Wankie. Gibbs was a slight, wan, earnest, soft-spoken and civic-minded Englishman, who had been farming in the Matabeleland countryside since the 1920s. His election to the House served as his introduction to the general establishment, that he would in due course serve as valedictory governor. An equally earnest but somewhat less English farmer by the name of Ian Douglas Smith, also took his seat on the backbenches, but in his case as Liberal Party member for Selukwe. Smith, of Scottish descent, but very determinedly a Rhodesian, would emerge as one of the titans in the brief history of Rhodesia. He would also dominate its closing chapters as the only one of the eight Southern Rhodesian prime ministers to have been born in the territory. The careers of these two men will be discussed in much more detail in later chapters. Most important for the moment was the introduction, into the still relatively serene political establishment, of a 40-year-old New Zealand missionary by the name of Garfield Todd. Todd was a most unlikely newcomer to a rather conservative political scene. That he became Prime Minister was almost unimaginable and can be largely attributed to happenstance and the lack of established political talent available for the territorial legislatures. Most important too was that for just a brief moment, there seemed to be an extraordinary willingness on the part of white Rhodesians to suspend their disbelief and give peace a chance. It is worth noting that in the mid-1950s, white credibility and black indulgence had not yet reached the critical point that they would in later years. The black establishment was receptive to compromise, while the white seemed poised on the cusp of embracing genuine race partnership. All that was needed, it seemed, was for the right brand of courageous leadership to drive both races across the Rubicon. To achieve this would take a prime minister, not only capable of tearing through the perception of white supremacy, but one who could force his brethren to accept once and for all the peril of their situation. Many liberals on both sides of the race divide hoped that Garfield Todd was this man. It was during his hunt for such good men during the lean years of the war, that Huggins first persuaded Todd to run for the Shabani seat. Todd had then been settled in Southern Rhodesia for just 14 years, serving as head of the New Zealand sponsored Dadaya Mission in the southeast of the country. As a missionary, Todd inhabited a world separate from his fellow legislators and far removed from the world of most whites. [...]

This is an excerpt from the book Rhodesia: Last Outpost of the British Empire 1890-1980, by Peter Baxter.

Title: Rhodesia
Subtitle: Last Outpost of the British Empire 1890-1980
Author: Peter Baxter
Publisher: Galago Publishing
2nd edition. Alberton, Republic of South Africa, 2010
ISBN 9781919854281 / ISBN 978-1-919854-28-1
Original soft cover, 17 x 24 cm, 576 pages, numerous bw- and colour photos, maps, English