Figure 1.-- |
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Zimbabwe despite its political problemns at the time of independence had a strong economy and a real chance of sucess. It was seen as the breadbasket of Africa. Robert Mugabwe became Prime-minister (1980). His 37 year dictaorial rule soon changed the country's high hopes. Dictatorship combined with economic mismanagment was a recipie for diastrerthat many new African countries shared. Not only had Zimbabwe been producing food for the domestic market, but also for export. The turning point for Ziambabwe came wgen Mugabwe's thugs began forcing the white commercail farmers off the land as part of a chaotic, coersive land reform (2000). The land was given to Zimbaweans who had no idea how to farm. Usually person connected politically to Mugabwe, not Africans who had been working on the estates. And Mugabwe's racist oriented land reformers made no effort to train the people whomgot the land how to farm. Harvests quickly plummeted and Zimbabweans began to go hungary. It was not just the agricultural sector that declinned. All sectors declinned. And eventually Mugabwe set off the greatest inflation spiral in all og history. Billion dollar bills appeared and werEventuall there were hunderd trillion doillar bills. As far as we know this were the highest denomination bills ever printed and they were soon worthless. The country's economy and people were devestated. Mugabe was forced from power (November 2017). There was euphoria about the future. But the immense damage done by his 37 year rule will not be easily repaired. The United Nations office in Harare had to launch an appeal for more than $300 million in emergency funds to prevent starvation in a country with some of the richest agricultural land in all of Africa (August 2019). U.N. Ambassador Bishow Parajuli that the funds were need to care for some 3.7 million people in despeate need. Zimbabweans live in a country where there is electricity for only 6 hours a day at best. There are long lines for gas--when it is available. Stores including grocery stores have little on the shelves. And few customers can aford even the basicson the rare occassions when they are available. Incredably the Government banned the use of the dollar and other foreign currency and than had to admit that they lacked the funds to have a new national currency printed. Frustration is building because the hoped for improvements after the removal of Mugabe have not occurred. Mugabe ally Emmerson Mnangagwa is the current president, but has failed to make major changes. And like other Soclilists (Cuba and Venezuela) the failures are all blamed on outside forces (America, Britain, and Australia). Socialists tend to fail at just about everyhing--but they are very resourceful and creating excuses. Condition continue to deteriorate. The inflation rate is 175 percent, actually low by Zimbabewan standards. The economy which had been growing slowly is set to decline in 2019. And the World Bank sees a 3 percent decline in 2020. [Hill, p. A12.] Ironically, Zimbabwe is being forced tom import food from the African counties that took in the white farmers thar Mugabwe drove out of the country. That is when Zimbabweans cam afford to import the needed food.
In the centuries jut before the arrival of Europeans, Kongo in the west and Great Zimbabwe in the southeast continent offered two different African trading models (14th-15th centuries). While there was trans-Atlantic trade in thw West, ther was a thriving trans-Indian Ocean trade in the East. Great Zimbabwe by controling gold production was at the center of an exteniveb African trade network which extended east across the Indian Ocean, though the Persian Gulf, to India, andreaching as far as China. This activity as dominated by Arab readers. The ravages of the Arab slave trade were affected by the strength of the Banu tribes. Weakers tribes were the main target. There were slave raids not only by the Arabs by by the vstronger tribes, the two often working together. The area of modern Zimbabwe in the late medieval era was dominated by Bantu states. Th economy was traditiional live stocking hubandry and farming. The Rozwi Empire was based on cattle wealth and farming a well as gold mining. They established trade with Arab traders operaing from the Indian Ocean coast. Gold, copper, and ivory was exchanged for luxury goods. The slave trade was also important. And as the power of Great bZimbabwe wained, the depradatiins of thevAran slavevtraders increased.
Queen Victoria chartered the British South Africa Company's administration of what became Rhodesia and now Zimbabwe (1899). White settlement began with the Pioneer Column's march north-east to Mashonaland (1890). The Comoany was authorized to acquire, govern, and develop the area north of the Transvaal in what is now South Africa. The Company was directed by Cecil Rhodes withnlittle oversight. He raised a Comoamy armed force and by inteidation and diolomacy carved out a huge bloc of territory to develop and administr. He defeated the poorly armed Matabele army in the First and Second Matabele Wars who resisted the Company's land seizues (1890s). Rhodes proceededt o gain control over a vastinland teritory on botg sides of the Zambezi river. He efftively took muh of the agricultural land out of the hands of its African population. He named the area Rodesian and ran the Company into the 1920s. White immigration to the area was at first limited, but increased (1900s and early 1910s). Much of thevsettlement was south of the Zambezi. The economic slump in the Cape following Boer War (1899-1902) caused many South Africans to move to Southern Rhodesia. The Company's land settlement programme encouraged more to settle permanently. [3]
Southern Rhodesin offered rich farming land, but there was also gold mining. The Compamy was reporting balanced revenue and expenditure (1912).
Southern Rhodesia did not develop a diversified economy. Much of the output was chrome and tobacco. Such economies are vulnerable to the economic down turns. The Great Deporession affected exports of both major exports. Worlf War II restored the market for both and their was a post-War boom. Some 0.2 million whites were attracyed by the properity (1945-70). This ijcreased the white populatiom 200 mpercent to over 0.3 million. Many of the newcomers were British working-class origin, with other whites coming from the Belgian Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and later Angola and Mozambique. They helped establish a much more balanced economy. They also changed the nature of farming froim small scale oeratiins to large scale commercial farming. And to supoort that a manufacturing sector (iron and steel industries) appeared. Thee were also new, modern mining ventures. Little of this involved foreign aid, it develpd from locally finaced operations. .
Ian Smith's right wing party won elections (1962). Britian refused to grant independence without a degree of black majority participation. Smith's party with a largely white electorate on a sweeping victory (1965). He declared Rhodesia independent. Britain refused to recognize this and asked the United Nations to apply sanctions. The result was the Bush War and international sanctions. The Roodesian economy began to decline as a reesult of the sanctions, crippling=g for a country dependent on edxport markets. The country became increasingly isolated as neighnoring African states declared independence and majority rule. )
Zimbabwe despite its political problemns at the time of independence had a strong economy and a real chance of sucess. It was seen as the breadbasket of Africa. Robert Mugabwe became Prime-minister (1980). His 37 year dictaorial rule soon changed the country's high hopes. Dictatorship combined with economic mismanagment was a recipie for diastrerthat many new African countries shared. Not only had Zimbabwe been producing food for the domestic market, but also for export. The turning point for Ziambabwe came wgen Mugabwe's thugs began forcing the white commercail farmers off the land as part of a chaotic, coersive land reform (2000). The land was given to Zimbaweans who had no idea how to farm. Usually person connected politically to Mugabwe, not Africans who had been working on the estates. And Mugabwe's racist oriented land reformers made no effort to train the people whomgot the land how to farm. Harvests quickly plummeted and Zimbabweans began to go hungary. It was not just the agricultural sector that declinned. All sectors declinned. And eventually Mugabwe set off the greatest inflation spiral in all og history. Billion dollar bills appeared and werEventuall there were hunderd trillion doillar bills. As far as we know this were the highest denomination bills ever printed and they were soon worthless. The country's economy and people were devestated. Mugabe was forced from power (November 2017).
With the removal of Mugabwe there was euphoria about the future. But the immense damage done by his 37 year rule will not be easily repaired. And while Mugabwe was removed, the people around him were not. The United Nations office in Harare had to launch an appeal for more than $300 million in emergency funds to prevent starvation in a country with some of the richest agricultural land in all of Africa (August 2019). U.N. Ambassador Bishow Parajuli that the funds were need to care for some 3.7 million people in despeate need. Zimbabweans live in a country where there is electricity for only 6 hours a day at best. There are long lines for gas--when it is available. Stores including grocery stores have little on the shelves. And few customers can aford even the basicson the rare occassions when they are available. Incredably the Government banned the use of the dollar and other foreign currency and than had to admit that they lacked the funds to have a new national currency printed. Frustration is building because the hoped for improvements after the removal of Mugabe have not occurred. Mugabe ally Emmerson Mnangagwa is the current president, but has failed to make major changes. And like other Soclilists (Cuba and Venezuela) the failures are all blamed on outside forces (America, Britain, and Australia). Socialists tend to fail at just about everyhing--but they are very resourceful and creating excuses. Condition continue to deteriorate. The inflation rate is 175 percent, actually low by Zimbabewan standards. The economy which had been growing slowly is set to decline in 2019. And the World Bank sees a 3 percent decline in 2020. [Hill, p. A12.] Ironically, Zimbabwe is being forced tom import food from the African counties that took in the white farmers thar Mugabwe drove out of the country. That is when Zimbabweans cam afford to import the needed food.
Hill, Geoff. "Protests to highlight failure to launch in post-Mugabe era," The Washington Times (Augustb15, 2019), p. A1, 12.
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