M. Mysl'. 1984. 367 p.

The historical and biographical work of the head of the Africa sector of the Institute of General History of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences A. B. Davidson, has been published. It ends with the words: "Many peoples of the world first met each other during the colonial era, and the consequences of such acquaintance will be felt for a long time to come. It is all the more important to understand the legacy and deeds of such ideologues and practitioners of colonialism as Cecil Rhodes" (p.357). But this is a book not only about Rhodes, but also about the time in which he lived, about the colonial policy of England, about the division of the African continent and much more.

The last quarter of the nineteenth century was characterized by the transition of capitalism to its highest imperialist stage. The colonial expansion of imperialism was most clearly manifested in the division of Africa. "That era lasted twenty-five to thirty years," the author notes. - Rhodes ' activity occurred just during these years. He was flesh from flesh, blood from the blood of those forces that divided and shredded whole continents" (p. 353), "one of the leading constants of the world."-

page 125

the architects of this huge machine called colonialism" (p. 16).

Why exactly did Rhodes become the idol of the British colonial Empire, to which he "added" an area of 291 thousand square miles? First of all, because, as the author emphasizes, it most fully "represents the era when capitalism was on the rise and the powers divided the world among themselves" (p.16). Consistently, step by step, the author recreates the image of the "father of the British colonial Empire", or, perhaps, it is better to say "godfather", draws the character of a purposeful and active financier-colonizer. An ardent supporter and active creator of the British Empire, Rhodes declared in the Creed: "It is our duty to seize every opportunity to seize new territories, and we must constantly remember that the more land we have, the more numerous the Anglo-Saxon race is, the more representatives of this best, most worthy human race on Earth" (p. 7).

At that time, racist ideas were widespread not only in England. Everywhere in Europe, the white man's civilizing mission was being written about. Is the widespread phenomenon of "geographical patriotism" accidental during the colonial division of the world? In this regard, we can recall that the ideas of geopolitical imperialism put forward at that time did not die out in the XX century. Born in Europe, colonialism, having absorbed the dirt and blood of centuries, in its extreme form of genocide, was returned to its homeland by the practice of German fascism, threatening to destroy the European peoples. For Rhodes, the focus was different.

Colonialism needed its own devotees, heroes, and idols-Rhodes was one of them. Even his crimes were excused. It was also easier to put a romantic aura around Rhodes ' name because he was neither an aristocrat nor a rich man by birth. "Rhodes, like perhaps no one else, embodied the spirit of colonialism during the division of the world," the book notes. "His adult life-from his arrival in Africa in 1870 to his death in early 1902-coincides exactly with the period of this division. And Rhodes, with all his thoughts and actions, fit into that colonial-imperialist period " (p. 235).

To characterize Rhodes and his time, the author drew extensively on Russian documents. Their use to describe the colonial past of Africa is a characteristic feature of A. B. Davidson's works.

Rhodes went to Africa in 1870. It was at that time that the world's largest diamond and gold deposits were discovered in the south of the continent, and close to each other. Hundreds of thousands of people rushed here, the "diamond" and then the "gold rush" began. The author recreates a vivid image of the European colonizer in Africa: confident in himself, in his own superiority and impunity in relations with Africans, having, like the two-faced Janus, two faces: one for whites, the other for blacks.

"Most Europeans who came to Africa believed that whatever they did, whatever they did, they were doing good... And it seemed to them that only hopelessly backward people, "savages", "haters of civilization" can feel hostility and distrust towards them (p. 104). Rhodes was no exception, calling the Africans " lazy scoundrels." In the atmosphere of the" diamond rush", which is very accurately and figuratively drawn by A. B. Davidson, Rhodes ' business skills and practical streak were revealed. At the diamond mines, he learned the science of maneuvering and managing, speculating and relying on the most necessary people. It showed a large entrepreneur "with the ability to conduct large speculations, make risky transactions, with a sharpened intuition in everything that can give a profit" (p. 50). He bribed politicians and officials, party bosses and aristocrats, journalists and missionaries, small shareholders and large entrepreneurs. Not even bypassed the Belgian King Leopold II.

At the age of 30, Rhodes is already the president of the De Beers joint-stock company, a member of Parliament of the Cape Colony with wide political connections. In 1873, he entered Oxford. The main asset he acquired in this privileged educational institution is an extensive circle of acquaintances with people from aristocratic families, with those high officials who were trained to run the British Empire. The very ones who raised the banner of jingoism and sent English soldiers "to all lands and seas." It was during his Oxford years that Rhodes wrote The Creed, his political creed imbued with the ideas of imperial nationalism, the unification of the entire world under English rule.

page 126

A significant place in the book is occupied by the description of colonial "cuisine", those dirty and bloody methods resorted to by European colonizers during the struggle for Africa. In 1884. Rhodes was appointed Deputy High Commissioner of South Africa in Bechuanaland. A year later, England declared the southern part of the Bechuan lands a royal colony-the Territory of Bechuanaland, and the northern part - the Protectorate of Bechuanaland. The vast land of the Bechuanas (present-day Botswana) was the first English conquest associated with Rhodes ' name. In the second half of the 80s of the XIX century. Rhodes, with the help of the English Rothschilds, managed to create a "diamond empire", which became one of the first monopolistic associations in the world. After the discovery of the richest gold deposits in the Johannessburg area, Rhodes became one of the largest gold producers.

It was his finest hour. "In the way of Rhodes lay the countries that were to become Rhodesias by his will" (p. 81). The main obstacle on this path is inkosi (ruler) Lobengula and his Ndebele, or Matabele people. Recreating the colorful and tragic image of the African leader with the extreme scarcity and fragmentary nature of the available sources is the merit and undoubted success of the author. The reader cannot remain indifferent, following the dramatic course of Rhodes ' unequal struggle with Lobengula. The author shows that Lobengula was "an experienced, sophisticated ruler who was able to show self-control, prudence and resourcefulness even in the most difficult circumstances" (p.85). But his reign coincided with the period of the colonial division of Africa. The outcome of the Ndebele struggle with the British was a foregone conclusion - the forces were too unequal.

The leading and most effective form of colonial conquest by the European imperialist Powers in Africa at the end of the nineteenth century was through privileged companies. It was to them that Africa was "rented out", it was these offspring of large private capital that took on the dirty role of conquistadors of imperialism in the pursuit of profit. The largest of these was the British South African Company, founded by Rhodes in 1889, which had not only its own flag, coat of arms and motto, but also its own police and army. Director - manager of the company-Rhodes-in 1890 became Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. In the same year, a paramilitary group of Rhodes settlers built several fortified forts on the lands of the Shona people (who were considered tributaries to the Ndebele), including Salisbury, the future administrative center of Rhodesia.

In 1893, military operations began directly against the Ndebelas. This was the first war in history with the use of automatic weapons-Maxim machine guns. It resulted, in fact, in the mass murder of Ndebelas. "It was the extermination of people who were essentially unarmed," the author emphasizes, "because they could not use their weapons in battle" (p. 207). Lobengula conceded defeat and asked that his people be allowed to move north. He died in January 1894. "Neither the cause, date, or place of his death are precisely known" (p.209).

Rhodes is trying to push the borders of his empire further north from the Zambezi. Unfortunately, A. B. Davidson only outlined, but did not disclose, Rhodes ' activities in Katanga and Mozambique in the general context of Anglo-German-Portuguese rivalry in this area of Africa. With Rhodes ' participation, an English protectorate was established over Nyasaland. Rhodes ' name is associated with the idea of building a telegraph line and the Cape Town - Cairo railway. He did everything possible to capture along the way the countries that in the British Empire became known as Bechuanaland, Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Uganda.

An interesting analysis of Rhodes ' relationship with the Boers, who made up the majority of the white population of the Cape Colony and all of South Africa, is given in the book. Rhodes became a prominent political figure in South Africa precisely because of the support of the Boers. Perhaps it was from them that he adopted elements of the policy of apartheid. However, an independent Boer Republic blocked the path of English colonial expansion. Rhodes also initiated the Jackson Raid on the Boer Transvaal in late 1895 and early 1896. The failure of this action cost him the post of Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.

And in the spring of 1896, the Ndebele country rebelled against the colonialists. The British turned to brutal reprisals against the rebels. Rhodes was the first to introduce a system of compound camps for African workers, actively resorted to a system of forced labor, and decided to drive most of the Africans of Rhodesia to reserves. In August 1896, Rode begins negotiations with voe-

page 127

become. He does not skimp on promises and promises, and in October he manages to negotiate with the Ndebelami on the terms of ending the uprising.

Rhodes faces the Boer problem again. With his active participation, the English press launched anti-Boer propaganda: there were militant calls for the protection of Africans from Boer bandits. In the spring of 1899, Rohde went to Berlin and met with Wilhelm P. By that time, a compromise had been reached between the rival financial groups of both countries, as evidenced by the German-British agreement of 1898.

The Boer War, which attracted the world's attention, began in October 1899. Everywhere England and Rhodes were denounced: "The war was considered the triumph of his policy, and he was the main culprit" (p. 320). In March 1902, a few months before the end of the war, he died in Cape Town. "Along with the epoch," the author concludes, "as often happened in history, the person who became its personification also left" (p. 353).

A. B. Davidson's work is written in a fascinating and highly professional way. But, paradoxically, it is in the fascination of one of the weak points of the book. The author strives to be interesting in everything he writes about. He manages to do this, but sometimes at the expense of other topics that have the primary right to enter, but are not included in the book. The work contains many poems, in particular" proclaiming the happiness of being a colonizer " by R. Kipling, author's observations and reflections on various historical subjects. At the same time, the reader will not have a more complete understanding of, say, the complex relationship that existed between Rhodes and the financial groups of England and Germany.

The careful work of the author and artist on the design of the book and illustrations deserves praise. At the same time, the author should be reproached for the lack of maps.

A. B. Davidson's book aroused interest not only among historians, but also among a wide range of readers. Its literary merits, fascination, and emotional coloring shape the reader's attitude to colonialism.

page 128

Permanent link to this publication: