Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency

Date: 5 Nov 1965
Updated: 5 Nov 2019

On 5 November 1965 Rhodesian( now Zimbabwe) Prime Minister,Ian Douglas Smith, declared a state of emergency. This was prompted by the United Kingdom’s (UK) refusal to grant Zimbabwe independence after Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia (now known as Zambia) and Malawi. The British government refused to yield to their demands without amendments to the colony's constitution, including a graduated extension of the franchise leading to eventual African rule. On 11 November, the Smith government issued a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). The British government viewed UDI as illegal and imposed limited economic sanctions. These measures did not bring about the desired results.

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How we know this

01Boddy-Evans A. ‘This day in African history:05 November’, from About African History, [online], available at www.africanhistory.about.com (Accessed: 27 September 2012)
02Encyclopedia of the Nations, ‘Zimbabwe-History’, [online], available at www.nationsencyclopedia.com (Accessed: 27 September 2012)
03Institute of Commonwealth Studies, ‘Rhodesia UDI 1965 - Online Exhibition’, [online], available at https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk (Accessed: 27 September 2012)

Last updated · 5 Nov 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, October 31). Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949

South African History Online (2012) 'Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency', South African History Online, 31 October. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949 (Accessed: 22 July 2026).

South African History Online, Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949, (accessed 22 July 2026).

"Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency." South African History Online, 31 Oct. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949. Accessed 22 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency." South African History Online. October 31, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949.