Rhodes, Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902), Founder of Rhodesia and De Beers Diamond Magnet

Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902).
- Founder of Rhodesia and De Beers Diamond Magnet

Rhodes

Cecil Rhodes was elected Prime Minister of the Cape Colony in 1881. He was one of Great Britain’s main empire builders. He was a financier, statesman, and philosopher of mystical imperialism. He had many dreams of imperialism in Africa. He dreamed of a "Cape to Cairo" railroad that would Paint the Map Red. Rhodes wanted to bring all of Africa under British control.

Cecil Rhodes went to Africa in 1870 and became a diamond miner. He started a very successful company in 1888 called the De Beers consolidated Mines, Ltd. Economically, the company was very profitable. By 1891, his company owned ninety percent of the worlds diamond mines.

In 1885, Rhodes persuaded Britain to annex Bechuanaland (now called Botswana),in an attempt to prevent the Boer Transvaal Republic from extending its territory northwards. He had visions of Britain controlling all of southern Africa,and the Transvaal Republic was seen as one of the main threats.

In 1890, Rhodes was elected as Prime Minister of the South African Parliament. Soon after the region of Matabeleland was renamed Rhodesia in his honour, Rhodes was approached by a group of British settlers, victims of discrimination, from Transvaal Republic, who planned to overthrow the Boer run government. Rhodes,seeing it as an opportunity to forward his vision, backed the plan. On December 29, 1895 a British South Africa Company force invaded the republic, but were soon driven back. The invasion became known as Jameson’s Raid, after its leader, Leander Starr Jameson, who was duly sent to prison for the part he played.

Although Rhodes avoided a similar fate, it was obvious that he’d given the attack his backing,so he was forced to resign as Prime Minister in 1896. Cecil Rhodes died in 1902, after having an active role in the Boer War most of Rhodes wealth was left to Oxford University via The Rhodes Scholarships which have been awarded to applicants annually since 1902 by the Oxford-based Rhodes Trust on the basis of academic qualities, as well as those of character. They provide the successful candidate with two years of study at the University of Oxford in England, possibly extended for a third year.

East Africa Askari Colonial Soldier Collection

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Wooden Soldier Regimental Histories

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