Rebellion!

1999 - 1999

Treachery

14th March 1999

Episode 1

In the dramatic days leading up to the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965, Rhodesian leader Ian Smith locked horns with British prime minister Harold Wilson.

Betrayal

21st March 1999

Episode 2

Ian Smith's rebellion against the British crown was initially aided by South African support during sanctions, but later withdrawn, forcing Smith to agree to majority rule.

Surrender

28th March 1999

Episode 3

The fight for independence cost 30,000 lives; peace talks ended in disagreement; and up to the last moment the Rhodesian military plotted to keep Robert Mugabe from taking power. Ian Smith, Lord Carrington, Rhodesian commander General Walls, and Andrew Parker-Bowles recall those turbulent times.

Top Cast

David Dimbleby•Robert Mugabe

Director

John Bridcut

As a young reporter, David Dimbleby made three Panorama films on Rhodesia between 1967 and 1968, following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence. This three-part series tells the inside story of white Rhodesia's revolt against the British crown and the long battle to bring full democracy to an independent Zimbabwe.