Changing interpretations of Ian Smith in the British press, 1980–2007

Abstract

This article seeks to advance the debate surrounding contemporary attitudes to settler colonialism in Britain by looking at the reinvention of the reputation of the former Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith in British print media. This is becoming an increasingly important area of historical debate, but one that has not yet been fully explored. In order to investigate these issues, this article uses journalistic sources to reconstruct the ways in which Smith was talked about in public debate during the period from Zimbabwean independence in 1980 to his death in 2007. It argues that, while in the 1980s Smith was generally dismissed and condemned for his role in Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence, by the later 1990s and 2000s assessments were far more mixed, with many people comparing him favourably against Robert Mugabe. Indeed, it suggests that the suffering of Zimbabwe under Mugabe was the catalyst for Smith’s rehabilitation. Ultimately, it posits that interest in Smith highlights the unusually extensive interest that opinion formers had in Zimbabwean affairs, which was a legacy of the unique status of Rhodesia within the British empire.