In this episode, we explore the creation of the Central African Federation (1953–1963), Britain’s attempt to bind together Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland into one semi-autonomous bloc. The federation was sold as a bold experiment in multiracial partnership and economic modernization, but in reality it served white settler interests while tightening imperial control.Drawing on Martin Thomas’s Fight or Flight, we examine why London pursued this policy at a time when decoloniza
Reading time:
1–2 minutes
Explaining History Podcast
For more than a decade, the Explaining History Podcast has helped listeners around the world make sense of modern history. What began in 2012 as a simple experiment—short, accessible episodes explaining major historical events—has grown into a long-running library of carefully researched, thoughtful explorations of the 20th and 21st centuries.
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