ABSTRACT
At its core, the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) on 11 November 1965 was an assertion of settler autonomy over the country's destiny. The action put imperial powers, such as the UK and US, and African nationalist leaders in a subordinate position and postponed the sought after political solution of a black government upholding the status quo. The UDI and resulting trade sanctions boosted the Import Substitution Industrialisation [ISI] strategy adopted by the Rhodesian Government, which saw local manufactures explode from about 600 to 6,000 products. Many Zimbabweans look back at the UDI years with envy, household goods were cheap, money had value and jobs were available. Britain's refusal to intervene militarily encouraged both settler defiance and the African leadership to move beyond a simple reliance on the mother country to bring about majority rule. Meanwhile, Rhodesians supported UDI not so much to uphold 'Western civilisation' but simply out of 'fear for their jobs, land and lives'.
