Cecil Rhodos

Cecil John Rhodos (July 5th 1853 - March 26th 1902) was a British Business man , Prime Minister of the Colonie of the Cape in South Africa and founder of the Rhodesia in the honor of which she was baptized.

Its personal currency “ in So much to C, so little time… ” (so many things to make, if little time to achieve them…) made the round the world tour.

Its life

Fifth wire of Pasteur Francis William Rhodos (1807 - 1878) and of Louisa Peacock Rhodos (1816 - 1873), his second wife, Cecil John Rhodos was born the July 5th 1853 in England. The phratry counted in very nine boys (including two died in low age) and three girls (of which one born from the preceding marriage of the reverend Rhodos).

Child shining but equipped with a fragile health, Cecil Rhodos has only 17 years in 1870 when, to look after his Asthme, it stops his studies with Oxford to join his Herbert brother established as farm with the Natal in South Africa where the climate was more favorable to him.

Cecil Rhodos works initially in the fields of Coton of his/her brother of which it supervises management there after Herbert Rhodos, having heard of discovered about the first Diamant S with Kimberley, left to try his chance in March 1871. Cecil Rhodos joined it nevertheless in October and starts, not by prospecting, but by selling material and foodstuffs to the minors.

Endowed in businesses, it then carries out its first profits with which it repurchases the concessions with prospectors who do not find anything. It meets there also Charles Dunell Rudd and Leander Starr Jameson with which it binds friendship. The diamantiferous fields of Kimberley ensure its fortune then its capacity.

In 1876, from now on rich, it turns over to finish its studies with Oxford, enters a maconnic cabin and to South Africa only five later in 1881 returns definitively.

A gifted business man

With the benefit drawn from the sale from materials and foodstuffs, it invests in the repurchase of diamantiferous concessions and starting from 1885, it repurchases all the mines of Diamant S of the area of Kimberley.

He triumphs over his single rival, Barney Barnato, by repurchasing his group in 1888 to form the De Beers Consolidated Mines, which enables him to grant the exploitation and the monopoly of the world commerce of the Diamant S of South Africa.

Prime Minister for the Colony of the Cape

Rhodos was not long in investing itself in policy before even its final return of the United Kingdom. Thus at 28 years, hardly graduate, it was made elect like deputy of Barkly West at the legislative assembly of the Cape with the support of Afrikaner Bond, the Parti afrikaner Jan Hofmeyr.

In 1890, it is elected Prime Minister for the colony of the Cape whereas at the same time, it is named director of British South Africa Company (BSAC), company which it founded, and of which it will be used for to assert and colonize in the name of the British crown the territories located at the north of the river Limpopo.

A builder of empire

Worthy representing British imperialism, its political ambition is to repaint Africa with the colors of the the United Kingdom and to establish a railway line between the Cape and Cairo. Rhodos is not an enemy of the Boers with whom it collaborates narrowly in the Cape. Also, it defended besides the cause of the republics boers because the base of its philosophical system was the unit of the Anglo-Saxon Race Germanic, , called according to him to direct the world. Boers were integrated in its vision of the world dominated by the British Empire. Thus it wished the installation of a federation of South Africa comparable with that of the Canada. But the leaders of the republics boers did not want any. And construction in the course of the line of Railroad connecting the Transvaal to the bay of Delagoa in Mozambican territory, was a brake with the federal dream of Rhodos because it allowed the Republic of South Africa wedged more not to be dependant on the colony of the Cape. Its imperial dreams were not only limited to the South Africa. Its imperial ambition included the the Middle East, the coasts of the China and the Japan, the Pacific Ocean and the South America. He undertook to make his dreams a reality be started with the south of Africa.

As of 1885, in an article of the Times, it encouraged the British government to establish a Protectorat on the Matabeleland, located at the north of the Transvaal.

In 1889, it founds the British South African Company (BSAC) which obtains British government a " charter royale" to occupy the Matabeleland. With his friend Rudd, it finances the column of pioneers charged to be established in the area. In 1890, whereas he is Prime Minister for the Cape, its pioneers occupy the Mashonaland and found Fort Salisbury. In 1894, after the defeat of the king matabélé Lobengula, the two territories forming the Zambézie of the South are amalgamated in the Southern Rhodesia baptized in the honor of Cecil Rhodos whereas the occupied territories in the north of the river Zambezi took the name of Rhodesia of North.

The territories in the north of the river Limpopo being under British domination, it any more but did not remain to control the Republics boers. The president of Transvaal, Paul Kruger, having refused the citizenship the abroads established on his territory rich in layer of Gold and diamonds, the Republic boer became an obstacle with the expansionist aimings of Rhodos and his dream of federation. In 1895, his/her friend, the doctor Leander Starr Jameson organized a punitive forwarding against Transvaal, in FIAT an attempt at Coup d'etat. This " Jameson" raid; was a fiasco which led to the calling into question of Cecil Rhodos, its resignation in 1896 of its station of Prime Minister and on the rebellion of the Ndebele S of Rhodesia. The districts isolated from Matabeleland were evacuated by the colonists cut off in the enclosures from Bulawayo, Gwelo, Belingwe and Tuli which were then besieged. In June, it is Mashonaland which was gained by the revolt. The road Salisbury - Umtali was cut by the rebels shonas. The British imperial troops, usually stationed with the Native , had the besieged responsibility of release Bulawayo and cities. The colonists then preached at Cecil Rhodos to implement a policy of extermination that this one refused. It came on the other hand in person, only in the middle of the hills of Matopos, to negotiate a Armistice with the Ndébélés chiefs the August 21st 1896. Two months later, peace was signed. Rhodos was tempted to accept the peace proposal of the chief shona Makoni but the British high-command interposed, determined to require a unconditional surrender.

Nevertheless, Rhodos henceforth considered with respect Ndébélés following the personal bonds which it had woven with them during the negotiations for the armistice. He declared himself ready then to practice a humane, liberal policy and of honest co-operation. The colonists, opponents irreducible with the assimilation, will prevent such a policy from being carried out. During the War of Boers, Rhodos is cut off in Kimberley during the seat from the city where it organizes resistance. Its fragile health obliges it nevertheless to move away from the political matters.

It is withdrawn with Muizenberg close to the Cape where it dies of a Cancer the March 26th 1902.

It is buried close to Bulawayo on the Monts Matopo, greeted by hundreds of warriors Ndébélé S whom it had fought a few years before.

On its tomb its simple words are reproduced: Ci-to lie Cecil John Rhodos . He bequeathed to the world Rhodesia and the school Bourse Rhodos, making it possible to the best pupils studied with the Université of Oxford. Among the recipients of this purse in particular the US president Bill Clinton appears.

An imperial myth

Rhodos remained in the imaginary British and South-African like the prototype of the pitiless business man, a nationalist imperialist but also and perhaps especially like a visionary.

Its life gave birth to from the legends, to inspire by the hagiographies but also anathemas. Its Homosexualité was revealed then confirmed only very tardily during the 20th century. Its charisma, its appetite, its Nicotinism, its obsession for the baths and shavings as its leaning for drink belonged to its notorious characteristics.

Although rich person, it did not live in an ostentatious luxury. Its property of Groote Schuur was nevertheless sumptuous. It bequeathed it at the South-African state.

In parallel, it bequeathed its fortune to funds in charge of the management of a purse allowing the best American, English students and German to go to study with Oxford.

Heritage

Today, several monuments honor Cecil Rhodos, in particular in the Cape (Rhodos Memorial, statue on Company' S Garden and at the university) and with Kimberley (equestrian statue).

The cottage where it is deceased in Muizenberg is a museum.

The grounds which it bequeathed on Devil' S Peak became the campus of the Université of the Cape whereas its house of Groote Schuur, downtown, became the official residence of the president of South Africa.

Rhodesia does not exist any more since 1980 when the country was renamed Zimbabwe (Rhodesia of North having been renamed Zambia in 1964). Its statue located before the Parliament of Salisbury was unbolted and garaged in a recess of the interior garden of the building of the public records. Those identical which existed with Bulawayo and Mafeking (South Africa) were also withdrawn.

The University Rhodos, founded in 1905, close to Grahamstown always carries its patronym and the Bourse Rhodos always allows the students more deserving to continue their studies in Oxford.

The ski station of Rhodos, in the Cape-Eastern , was also baptized in its honor.

Its coach, preserved in state, is exposed to the museum of the railroads of Bulawayo, centers of Zimbabwe but the national park Cecil Rhodos is called from now on National park of Matopo (Matobo). Its tomb remains in the state in spite of the recurring threats of Robert Mugabe to reforward his burial with the the United Kingdom.

Cecil Rhodos was reproduced in 56e position on the list of the 100 larger South-African of all times, realized in 2004 among the population of South Africa.

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