Wilson v Smith: Rhodesia’s Challenge to British Rule (1966)

In December 1966, Ian Smith returned to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia from failed talks aboard the HMS Tiger with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The meeting marked one year, three weeks, and two days since the colony’s white settler government had declared unilateral independence (UDI), leading to the first mandatory sanctions to be imposed by the United Nations Security Council. For Wilson, Rhodesia constituted a lynchpin in the decline of the Commonwealth, as the Winds of Change blew across the African continent. For white Rhodesians, a government made up of black Africans (constituting over 90% of the population) was unthinkable. Rhodesia would see it’s eventual decline in the late 1970s, surviving this time via support from Portugal and Apartheid South Africa. This ITN report serves as an important cultural document for attitudes and perspectives from the time. #rhodesian #SouthernRhodesia #history #IanSmith #HaroldWilson #primeminister #zimbabwe #commonwealth #unitednations #windsofchange #décolonisation #settlers #africa #1966 #politicalhistory _______ To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/footage... 🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) -    / @frontlinebyitn   🎥 Follow us on Twitter -   / itnarchive   🎥 Like us on Facebook -   / itnarchiveitnp   🎥 Check out our TikTok -   / itnarchive1955