4 ATLASES
History of Zimbabwe in maps
Zimbabwe as it appears in 4 interactive history atlases, from 1890 to 1994: Zimbabwe. Each era below lists who ruled the land and when control changed, linked to the dated map that shows it.
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Free printable Decolonization of Africa study guide, sent by email ↓
What was Zimbabwe before it was Zimbabwe? The sections below follow this land through every era covered by the Maps of History atlases: who ruled it, what it was called, and when control changed. Each line links to the dated map. Modern borders serve as an approximation, as each atlas says on the map itself.
Zimbabwe · Industrial Revolution
| Colony or dependency — the opening position | |
| Colony or dependency |
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Zimbabwe · WWI
| Entente-aligned & imperial territories — the opening position |
Zimbabwe · Cold War
| NATO & core Western allies — the opening position | |
| Non-aligned & neutral |
COLD WAR: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) · Decolonization of Africa
Southern Rhodesia’s white settlers declared independence unilaterally in 1965 rather than accept majority rule. They held out for fifteen years despite sanctions and a bush war against Mugabe’s and Nkomo’s guerrillas. The 1979 Lancaster House settlement brought majority-ruled Zimbabwe in 1980, but its land clause deferred the central grievance for a decade. When the clause expired, the grievance detonated catastrophically. The settler state had ended by negotiation, while its central dispute remained unresolved.
| British-ruled — the opening position | |
| Settler-minority rule | |
| Independent Africa |
DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
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