Summit of the African nationalists’ achievement in Southern Rhodesia was the Southern Rhodesia Constitutional Conference of 1961. At this conference the nationalists had the opportunity to help modify the since 1925 existing political system from which Africans had been almost wholly excluded. The conference’s proposals, embodied in the 1961 constitution, virtually assured the Africans of 15 seats in a legislature of 65. They decided however that the projected franchise fell too far short of ‘one man, one vote’, and boycotted all elections under the new constitution. Consequently the nationalists had no more influence in the new political system than in the old. Their repeated efforts to have another constitutional conference called and to obtain a constitution based on universal franchise totally failed. This is elaborated in the articled sections: Background to the 1961 conference – The constitutional conference – After the conference – Evaluation of the N.D.P.’s political efficiency – The problem of party unity. Notes.
