Welcome to episode four of my overview of Rhodesian history. I am using these episodes as a vehicle to illustrate the general period of aggressive British territorial aquisition in Africa, that took place in last decade of the 19th century. We also touch on the subject of land in this episode, and I hope it will help listeners understand how the difficulties of land and land ownership in modern Zimbabwe came about.

The period covers the launch of the occupation, the establishment of the colony, and the first wars of pacification. Rhodes comes to appreciate some of the damage done in his name, and does what he can, when it is rather too late, to make amends.

In the next episode, we will get deeper into the land question as we enter a phase of large scale settlement, and the beginnings of a conflict as the black majority begin to assert a political agenda. This was the genesis of the struggle for independence that began soon after WWII, and would culminate with the Zimbabwe/Rhodesia Liberation War.