ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the reasons for the failure of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. It explains the persistent issue of discrimination against black Africans as a factor which was distinct to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland as a central African colonial entity dominated by a white settler minority, and which contributed to its failure. The paternalistic political thinking informing the institutional makeup of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland assumed that blacks were not ready for full membership of the body politic. The lack of tangible progress in widening representation was a crucial factor in much of the black middle class turning to African nationalism that promised the vote without reservations. Liberal whites advocated aggressive moves towards recognizing the achievements of the growing urban black middle class as a bulwark against African nationalism.
