Initial Conquest

Initial Conquest

     

      The Colonization of Zimbabwe would not have been possible without the vision of Cecil Rhodes. During the expansion of the British Empire, Africa became a prize for all British explorers. Zimbabwe, to Cecil Rhodes, was one of the greatest prizes for him to conquer and rid of non-white customs. Cecil Rhodes found that there were two rival tribes in the area. These tribes were called the Shona and the Ndebele. As Rhodes began to take parts of Zimbabwe away from them, this caused more and more unrest between the tribes.  

       After much patience the Tribes revolted. This revolt was called the First Chimurenga. With no unity between the tribes, they stood no chance. Rhodes first went after the Shona, forcing them to join an alliance with the British against their sworn enemy, the Ndebele.  The Shona couldn’t afford to disagree. Rhodes and his men had the upper hand in the battles with their major advancements in military technology. Eventually Rhodes was able to force the Ndebele to surrender. With one tribe on the brim of annihilation by the hands of Rhodes, Zimbabwe as a whole stood no chance against him. As a result Zimbabwe officially fell under British command on October third, 1888. Soon it was renamed Rhodesia in honor of its conquer Cecil Rhodes.