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A history of Rhodesia

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Robert Blake's 'A History of Rhodesia', or as the reviewer prior has pointedly noted, mostly Southern Rhodesia, has earned its place in Rhodesian historiography. There are works which are better suited for those whose grasp of Rhodesian history is cursory. The various works authored by Gann (whom Blake rightly considers to be authoritative heavily relies upon in this book), for example, amongst others would likely be better suited.

Blake tends to be rather longwhinded, and at times even tedius, a concern which fortunately he is highly conscious of, and in turn he is often compelled to keep this in check, sparing the reader even deeper tediums (if anything, certainly a testament to his vast knowledge in this historical field). Blake also displays sometimes a lack of tact (i.e. "Africans are not the best servants"), though never racialism (he is not one, I strongly suspect).

This book by the well-known British Conservative historian, in spite of its often somewhat tiresome emphasis on the constitutional political-legal (and even procedural) dimensions of Rhodesian history, also provides us with poignant insights into the economic and class; sociological and demographic; anthropological and cultural facets of the chartered company -turned- self-governing colony -turned- federation- -turned- UDI-Republicanist.

In one instance, Blake juxtaposes and synthesizes between Australia and New Zealand, the United States and Canada, and the Republic of South Africa and Rhodesia (and, of course, the increasingly intermediatory role - though not irrelevence - of Great Britain in this respect). How Rhodesia differs and stands unique in this regard is one area which the author attempts to elucidate (often with some measure of success). As much as this mildly lengthy book is written in an often longwhinded and sometimes rather dreary fashion, it is also equally rich (content-wise as well as philologically) and engaging. It is, inspite of all its shortcomings, an insightful work, which is in no in shortage of poignant passages, both original and cited. This makes 'A history of Rhodeisa', ultimately, worthwhile notwithstanding some of the aforementioned drawbacks.

To sum up, Robert Blake's 'A History of Rhodesia' is not the first (nor even third) book I would recommend for those interested to learn about Rhodesian history from scratch, not to mention UDI-Rhodesia -turned- Zimbabwe era. Not as seminal as some might claim, nonetheless, it is a recommended read. Its flow, while sometimes somewhat prohibitive, is also often quite facsinating, and less freqently, even nearly-profound. Blake is informative, a talented writer and a compotent academician. It is, then, a work not so much essential, but nevertheless, one which those who possess some familiarity with the subject are likely to value, perhaps even cherish.

Robert Blake's History of Rhodesia is an expertly written account of Rhodesia's past. Blake artistically focused upon the European history of the former colony from the 1890s until the early 1960s. He briefly covers the UDI period of Rhodesia, but his best writing recounts the political events that defined Rhodesia before 1965.

Blake beautifully articulated the political history of Rhodesia, but perhaps, like other liberals, he missed the major point. He failed to account for the African perspective of Rhodesia's turbulent history and how it influenced the Europeans. If Blake had the advantage of today's historical perspective, his book would undoubtably have a different voice.

A History of Rhodesia is a well written book that provides a thorough acccount of (southern) Rhodesia's history. I recommend this book to those interested in detailed southern African history.

Robert Blake's History of Rhodesia is an expertly written account of Rhodesia's past. Blake artistically focused upon the European history of the former colony from the 1890s until the early 1960s. He briefly covers the UDI period of Rhodesia, but his best writing recounts the political events that defined Rhodesia before 1965.

Blake beautifully articulated the political history of Rhodesia, but perhaps, like other liberals, he missed the major point. He failed to account for the African perspective of Rhodesia's turbulent history and how it influenced the Europeans. If Blake had the advantage of today's historical perspective, his book would undoubtably have a different voice.

A History of Rhodesia is a well written book that provides a thorough acccount of (southern) Rhodesia's history. I recommend this book to those interested in detailed southern African history.

...Most books about Rhodesia were either written in Rhodesia while it existed or by extreme opponents calling for its destruction. Lord Blake's book is neither (it was written several years before Rhodesia fell.)
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...While many Rhodesians might have arguments with some of his points, he had a more complete view of the situation than many in the British government. Unlike many ignorant writers (or those with an axe to grind) he understood the difference between Rhodesia's policies (which he likens to the British Raj in India) and that of South Africa with its heavy handed fascist overtones...
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...I have been to both South Africa and to Rhodesia (1976-78) and indeed there was a world of difference. Rhodesia was working towards change... and quickly... but it got a late start...
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...At the time it was obvious that if a marxist faction took power that whatever "guarantees" they might give the British... that it would decay into the nightmare that is now Mugabe...
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...Lord Blake could see many problems... but not that one. He was opposed to Rhodesia, but he was not a marxist or given to lying. I reccomend this history.
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YP

Between this work and Peter Godwin's "Rhodesians Never Die," one can ultimately capture both the history and sociology of one of the most interesting countries of the 20th Century. Here, Blake does a great job of capturing the reasons behind the federation, UDI, and the beginning of negotiations. Blake can be tedious and, at times, condescending (his points on Rhodesian dining are laugh-out-loud funny). However, the work is worthwhile to understanding how Zimbabwe has evolved.