Prime Minister of Rhodesia
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The Prime Minister of Rhodesia (until 1963 Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia) was the head of government in the colony of Rhodesia. Rhodesia's political system was modelled on Westminster and the prime minister's role was similar to that of the same position in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The British colony of Southern Rhodesia was created on October 1, 1923. From 1953 to 1963, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (later Rhodesia and then Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (later Malawi) were joined in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which was also known as the Central African Federation, with Godfrey Martin Huggins as prime minister from 1953 to 1956 followed by Sir Roy Welensky from 1956 to the federation's dissolution on December 31, 1963. When Northern Rhodesia gained independence as Zambia on October 24, 1964, Southern Rhodesia changed its name to Rhodesia.
Prime Minister Ian Smith's government issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1965. However this was not recognised abroad and after a long period of conflict the Rhodesian government agreed to revert to colonial status in 1979 in order to facilitate the introduction of Black majority rule and the creation of the independent state of Zimbabwe. During this transitional period the colony was known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.
List of Premiers and Prime Ministers
The position of Premier became the position of Prime Minister in 1933.