Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa

Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa

British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan began his "winds of change" tour of Africa in Ghana. Ghana became the first country in Sub-Sahara to gain independence in 1957, with Kwame Nkrumah as its first President. Many African countries gained independence after Macmillan’s speech. This famous and prophetic speech was made by Harold Macmillan, British Prime Minister on 3 February 1960 to the South African Parliament in Cape Town. In his speech, Macmillan said; "The wind of change is blowing through this continent and, whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it. ... As I see it, the great issue in this second half of the twentieth century is whether the uncommitted peoples of Asia and Africa will swing to the East or to the West.

How we know this

01Boddy-Evans A. ‘This Day in African History: 6 January’, from About African History, [online], Available at www.africanhistory.about.com [Accessed: 14 November 2012]
02SAHO, “The ‘Wind of Change ‘speech”, from South African History Online, [online], Available at www.sahitory.org.za [Accessed: 14 November 2012]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, December 20). Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094449

South African History Online (2012) 'Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa', South African History Online, 20 December. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094449 (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

South African History Online, Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094449, (accessed 19 October 2026).

"Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa." South African History Online, 20 Dec. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094449. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa." South African History Online. December 20, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0094449.