Skip to Main Content

The Colonialist: The Vision of Cecil Rhodes

Online ISBN:
9780190940157
Print ISBN:
9780199811359
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

The Colonialist: The Vision of Cecil Rhodes

William Kelleher Storey
William Kelleher Storey
Professor of History and Sanderson Chair in Arts and Sciences, Millsaps College
Find on
Published online:
17 April 2025
Published in print:
24 July 2025
Online ISBN:
9780190940157
Print ISBN:
9780199811359
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Cecil John Rhodes (1853–1902) was one of the most influential people in the history of the British Empire. Born in England, he made a fortune in South Africa by leading the world’s most important diamond mining company, De Beers, as well as a gold-mining company, Consolidated Gold Fields. He dreamed of uniting Southern Africa’s colonies and republics into one state, dominated by white settlers, with labor provided by Black people who were constrained and pressured by discriminatory laws. To achieve his goals, he served as a member of the Cape Colony’s legislature and even took a turn as prime minister from 1890 to 1896. Under his leadership, racism became baked into mining, farming, communication, and transportation. He lost the premiership after attempting a failed coup in the Boer republic of the Transvaal, an action that helped to precipitate the South African War (1899–1902). Meanwhile in the 1890s, his British South Africa Company used fraud and violence to rule and exploit what is today Zambia and Zimbabwe. A visionary of technology and imperialism, he famously advocated for a Cape-to-Cairo railway. His best-known legacy is the Rhodes Trust, which funds the Rhodes Scholarships at the University of Oxford.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close