Peter Baxter History

 This content is for members only

 This content is for members only

 This content is for members only

 A quick look at the historical backdrop…

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Peter Baxter History Podcast. I think we have at last put aside the imperial and colonial era, and we will start dealing now in more detail with matters of liberation and revolution which I think is one of the most interesting phases of African history. This episode just runs through a few anecdotal phases… Read more →

This is the last in my series of programes dealing with the history of Rhodesia. It plots the beginning of the land crisis, and the war that brought the liberation of the colony in 1980. From here we will start to deal with the general African liberation movement in From here we will start to deal with the general African… Read more →

Welcome to episode four of my overview of Rhodesian history. I am using these episodes as a vehicle to illustrate the general period of aggressive British territorial aquisition in Africa, that took place in last decade of the 19th century. We also touch on the subject of land in this episode, and I hope it will help listeners understand how… Read more →

Welcome to Part III of the History of Rhodesia. This part deals with with the arrival in South Africa of Cecil John Rhodes, and his emergence as one of the principal financial and political personalities on the British imperial stage. It also covers the first phase of frontier diplomacy between British and indigenous powers for control of the Mashonaland territory.… Read more →

This is the second in my multi part series, the History of Rhodesia. I thought I would begin with an overview of the pre-colonial history of Zimbabwe, to set the stage for what will probably be quite a Eurocentric study. Rhodesia was a white construct, and the war that decided its future was a race war. There were many preconceptions… Read more →

This is episode one in what I hope will be a three part series in the history and founding of Rhodesia. Rhodesia was, of course, the colonial iteration of Zimbabwe, and it was perhaps the most challenging phase of British imperial history in Africa, hence the amount of time that will be devoted to it. I am fully expecting some… Read more →

Here we examine and discuss the first arrival on the shores of South Africa of the European races. In 1488 the first Portuguese mariners made landfall at the Cape, but they did not attempt to settle, The first permanent white settlement took place in 1652 with the arrival at the Cape of representatives of the Dutch East India Company, intending… Read more →

As promised we have South African battlefield guide, speaker and storyteller Rob Caskie as a guest to chat with us about the Anglo Zulu War. Rob is an internationally recognized expert on this and a great many other battles and conflicts associated with early South African history. Rob’s website is robcaskie.com, and here you can find the dates and venues… Read more →

This is a little bit of a preparatory episode to set the stage for the guest appearance of Rob Caskie, who is currently recognized as one of the leading experts on the Anglo/Zulu War, in particular the two battles of Isandlwana and Rourkes Drift. Rob is also one of South Africa’s premier Anglo/Zulu War battlefield guides, and a speaker and… Read more →

The John Chilembwe Uprising was a a ‘Native Revolt’, in the terminology of the times, that took place in the British Protectorate of Nyasaland in January, 1915. Militarily, the uprising was insignificant, but in terms of its symbolism to the wider African Liberation Movement, it was monumental. There had, of course, been a great many uprisings and rebellions across the… Read more →

This overview of the African Slave trade is a brief look at two branches of African slavery, the Atlantic and Indian Ocean branches. The former – the Atlantic trade, is the better known of the two, and has tended to inform the popular perception of this enormous chapter of African and global history. It is often not fully appreciated the… Read more →

This Episode tells the story of the Universities Mission to Central Africa, an initiative primarily of Cambridge and Oxford Universities to enter the un-mapped regions of Central Africa to put into effect the great civilising mission of Doctor David Livingstone. It is a cautionary tale very relevant to modern politics and humanitarian adventure, and misadventure. The action takes place for… Read more →

Of Passive and Violent Resistance is my latest book, and it examines the issue of race and race relations in the British Empire against the backdrop of a unique relationship between two men who stood on opposing race axis. The first was Mohandas K Gandhi, and the other general Jan Christian Smuts. This podcast briefly summarizes the story, and below… Read more →

Of Passive and Violent Resistance is my latest book, and it examines the issue of race and race relations in the British Empire against the backdrop of a unique relationship between two men who stood on opposing race axis. The first was Mohandas K Gandhi, and the other general Jan Christian Smuts. This podcast briefly summarizes the story, and below… Read more →

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