It's retarded because Ian Smith IRL was actually very moderate ideologically. He did have in mind a plan to grant majority rule at some point in the far future once ZANLA was defeated, probably long after he died of natural causes (so probably up to the 90s, maybe 2000s) but the idea was there. iirc his plan was to develop Rhodesia and keep it stable and free from communism and make sure that when they do have majority rule, it'll be under a functioning government where the whites don't feel threatened at all.
Even in general, the Republic of Rhodesia was a lot more moderate than South Africa at the time and there was hardliners in the Rhodesian government and rival political parties who hated him simply because he didn't go far enough. Now whether or not they're right is up to debate, but it's retarded that TrooNO brands Ian Smith and the mainstream Rhodesian Front as a generic fascist party when in reality, shocker, there's more nuance to that.
The idea of Ian Smith wanting to grant majority rule is a meme lmao. Direct quote from the man himself.
Let me say it again. I don't believe in black majority rule ever in Rhodesia—not in a thousand years. I repeat that I believe in blacks and whites working together. If one day it is white and the next day it is black, I believe we have failed and it will be a disaster for Rhodesia.
Ian Smith did not want majority rule, he wanted a white and black government where whites held the positions of power for another decade, which was unacceptable to ZANU and ZAPU, and as the Internal Settlement with Abel Muzorewa in March of 78 would show, it didn't end the war. Peace was only realised when Smith realised that a white state just did not have enough people to continue. I mean it was just not sustainable. In 1976, of the approximately 250,000 whites, only 20% held Rhodesian passports (Smith excluded, as he held a British passport. LOL.)
The overarching policy of white Rhodesia was the Colour Bar and the 1947 Native Urban Areas Accommodation Act, the latter of which split urban areas into African and European sections. Europeans could not live in African areas which were often poor townships, but Africans could reside in European areas as basically servants in white households. Africans could enter some shops in the European areas so they could do grocery shopping for their white employers, but purchases were made usually through a separate area from the rest of white shoppers.
All major European towns, Salisbury, Gwelo, Bulawayo, Umtali, Melsetter, were open to Africans from 9am to 9pm but outside of those times, only with a pass from an employer. African service at all businesses were not guaranteed. Theatres had seperate entrances for blacks and whites, restaurants had separate dining areas, hotels didn't even allow Africans to rent a room. UCRN (a supposedly forward thinking and racially integrated university) had segregated living quarters and only after a fierce effort by Terence Ranger and John Reed in the late 1960s was that changed. Codified racial discrimination act in Rhodesia is basically broken down to the Land Apportionment Act of 1930 and what succeeded it, the land Tenure Act of 1969 which ensured spatial division on the basis of race. It divided Rhodesia into 5 sections with racial separation being the intended goal.
Give Ian Smith's book the Great Betrayal a read. It's a great insight into the mind of a man that nearly single handedly dragged Rhodesia into and through the war, completely ignorant to his surroundings. Two other great books on Rhodesia are the Last Days of White Rhodesia by Denis Hills, and From Rhodesia to Zimbabwe by W.H. Morris Jones.
tl;dr If Ian Smith wasn't a retard, declared a cult of personality and had his little Churchill esque "we will fight on the beaches!!" moment in the limelight and actually cared about the white people in Rhodesia majority rule would have happened instantly and retarded Maoists would not have taken power, and Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe-Rhodesia or whatever it would have been called might have been a decent place to live. Thanks Ian.
