4 - How Britain Underdeveloped Bechuanaland Protectorate: A Brief Critique of the Political Economy of Colonial Botswana
Corresponding Author(s) : Monageng Mogalakwe
Africa Development,
Vol. 31 No. 1 (2006): Africa Development
Abstract
Britain declared Bechuanaland a ‘protectorate’ in 1885 in a move largely driven by military strategic considerations rather than by the availability of economic resources. This can give the impression that in Botswana the process of eco- nomic underdevelopment, that is often associated with colonialism, never took place in this British ‘protectorate’. This article reveals that even in the so-called ‘protectorate’, the British colonial state policies subverted indigenous economic interests and stifled opportunities for indigenous private capital accumulation, while actively promoting the economic interests of a small white settler capitalist class.
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- Bhatia, H. L., 1987, Public Finance, New Delhi: Vani Educational Books.
- Best, A., 1970, General Trading In Botswana, 1890-1968, Economic Geography, 46, 4, pp 598-611.
- Campbell, A., 1968, The Guide to Botswana, Johannesburg: Winchester Press. Chazan, N., et al.,
- , Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa, Boulder:Lynne Rienner.
- Chinweizu, 1987, The West and the Rest of Us: White Predators, Black Slavers and the African Elite, Lagos: Pero Press.
- Chirenje, M., 1977, A History of Northern Botswana, 1850-1910, Fairleigh: Dickson University Press.
- Colclough, C., and McCarthy, S., 1980, The Political Economy of Botswana: A Study of Growth and
- Distribution, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- Courcel, de G (1988) The Berlin Act of 26th February 1885, in Forster S, Mommsen W and Robinson R
- (eds.) Bismarck, Europe, and Africa – The Berlin Africa Conference 1884-1885 and the Onset of Partition, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- du Toit, P., 1995, State Building and Democracy in Southern Africa, Washington, D.C.:United States
- Institute of Peace Press.
- Fawcus, P., and Tilbury, A., 2000, Botswana: Road to Independence, Gaborone: Botswana Society.
- Gossett, C. W., 1986, The Civil Service in Botswana: Personnel Policies and Comparative
- Perspectives, PhD Thesis, Stanford University.
- Halpern, J.,1969, South Africa’s Hostages, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, and Swaziland, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
- Hermans, Q., 1974, ‘Towards Budgetary Independences. A Review of Botswana Financial History
- -1973’, Botswana Notes and Records, Vol.6 (89-135). Kennedy, P., 1988, African Capitalism, The
- Struggle for Ascendancy, Cambridge:
- Cambridge University Press.
- Legassick, M., 1969, ‘The Sotho-Tswana Peoples before 1800’, in L. Thompson, ed., African Societies
- in Southern Africa, London: Heinemann.
- Lenin, V. I., 1968, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, Moscow: Progress Publishers.
- Massey, D., 1978, ‘A Case of Colonial Collaboration: The Hut Tax and Migrant Labour’, Botswana
- Notes and Records, Vol. 10 (95-98).
- Maylam, P., 1980, Rhodes, the Tswana, and the British, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
- Mogalakwe, M., 1997, The State and Organised Labour in Botswana, ‘Liberal Democracy in Emergent
- Capitalism’, Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.
- Morapedi, W. (2004), Cattle, Trade and the Peasantaries of Botswana: The case of Gantsi and
- Ngamiland, 1938-1953, Pula, Botswana Journal of African Studies, Vol. 18, 2 (95-110)
- Muzorewa, B. C., 1978, ‘The Role of Local Treasuries in the Underdevelopment of Botswana,
- -1953’, Botswana Notes and Records, Vol. 10 (113-118).
- Palmer, R., and Parsons, N., eds., 1977, The Roots of Rural Poverty in Central and Southern Africa,
- London: Heinemann.
- Parson, J., 1985, ‘The Labour Reserve in Historical Perspective: Towards a Political Economy of the
- Bechuanaland Protectorate’, in Picard, L., ed., The Evolution of Modern Botswana, Rex Collins.
- Parsons, N., 1975, ‘Khama and Co and the Jousse Trouble 1910-1916’, Journal of African History,
- Vol. 16, No 3 (383-408).
- Parsons, N., 1977, The Economic History of Khama’s Country in Botswana 1844- 1930, in Palmer R and
- Parsons N (eds.) Roots of Rural Poverty in Central and Southern Africa, Berkeley, University of
- California Press, pp. 113-141.
- Parsons, Q., and Crowder, M., 1988, Monarch of all I Survey: Bechuanaland Diaries 1929-37,
- Gaborone: Botswana Society, L Barber Press.
- Ramasy, J et al. 1996, Historical Dictionary of Botswana, Lanham MD: Scarecrow. Rodney, W., 1972,
- How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, London: Bogle-Samatar, I., 1999, An African Miracle, State and Class Leadership and Colonial Legacy in Botswana
- Development, Portsmouth: Heinemann.
- Schapera, I., 1947, Migrant Labour and Tribal Life, Oxford: OUP. Schapera, I., 1984, The Tswana,
- London: International African Institute.
- Sillery, A., 1965, Founding a Protectorate History of Bechuanaland, 1885-1895, London: Mouton and Co.
- Steenkamp, P., 1991, ‘Cinderella of the Empire?: Development Policy in Bechuanaland in the 1930s’,
- Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 17, No. 2. Taylor, J., 1978, ‘Mine Labour Recruitment in
- the Bechuanaland Protectorate’,
- Botswana Notes and Records, Vol. 10 (99-112).
- Taylor, J.G., 1979, From Modernisation to Modes of Production. A critique of the Sociologies of
- Development and Underdevelopment, London: Macmillan. Tlou, T., 1974, ‘The Nature of Batswana
- States: Towards a Theory of Batswana Traditional Government – The Tawana Case’, Botswana National
- Records, Vol. 6, pp. 57-75.
- Wallerstein, I., 1961, Africa, the Politics of Independence: An Interpretation of Modern African
- History, New York: Vintage Books.
- Wylie, D., 1990, A Little God: The Twilight of Patriarchy in a Southern African
- Chiefdom, Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
References
Bhatia, H. L., 1987, Public Finance, New Delhi: Vani Educational Books.
Best, A., 1970, General Trading In Botswana, 1890-1968, Economic Geography, 46, 4, pp 598-611.
Campbell, A., 1968, The Guide to Botswana, Johannesburg: Winchester Press. Chazan, N., et al.,
, Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa, Boulder:Lynne Rienner.
Chinweizu, 1987, The West and the Rest of Us: White Predators, Black Slavers and the African Elite, Lagos: Pero Press.
Chirenje, M., 1977, A History of Northern Botswana, 1850-1910, Fairleigh: Dickson University Press.
Colclough, C., and McCarthy, S., 1980, The Political Economy of Botswana: A Study of Growth and
Distribution, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Courcel, de G (1988) The Berlin Act of 26th February 1885, in Forster S, Mommsen W and Robinson R
(eds.) Bismarck, Europe, and Africa – The Berlin Africa Conference 1884-1885 and the Onset of Partition, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
du Toit, P., 1995, State Building and Democracy in Southern Africa, Washington, D.C.:United States
Institute of Peace Press.
Fawcus, P., and Tilbury, A., 2000, Botswana: Road to Independence, Gaborone: Botswana Society.
Gossett, C. W., 1986, The Civil Service in Botswana: Personnel Policies and Comparative
Perspectives, PhD Thesis, Stanford University.
Halpern, J.,1969, South Africa’s Hostages, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, and Swaziland, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Hermans, Q., 1974, ‘Towards Budgetary Independences. A Review of Botswana Financial History
-1973’, Botswana Notes and Records, Vol.6 (89-135). Kennedy, P., 1988, African Capitalism, The
Struggle for Ascendancy, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Legassick, M., 1969, ‘The Sotho-Tswana Peoples before 1800’, in L. Thompson, ed., African Societies
in Southern Africa, London: Heinemann.
Lenin, V. I., 1968, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, Moscow: Progress Publishers.
Massey, D., 1978, ‘A Case of Colonial Collaboration: The Hut Tax and Migrant Labour’, Botswana
Notes and Records, Vol. 10 (95-98).
Maylam, P., 1980, Rhodes, the Tswana, and the British, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Mogalakwe, M., 1997, The State and Organised Labour in Botswana, ‘Liberal Democracy in Emergent
Capitalism’, Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.
Morapedi, W. (2004), Cattle, Trade and the Peasantaries of Botswana: The case of Gantsi and
Ngamiland, 1938-1953, Pula, Botswana Journal of African Studies, Vol. 18, 2 (95-110)
Muzorewa, B. C., 1978, ‘The Role of Local Treasuries in the Underdevelopment of Botswana,
-1953’, Botswana Notes and Records, Vol. 10 (113-118).
Palmer, R., and Parsons, N., eds., 1977, The Roots of Rural Poverty in Central and Southern Africa,
London: Heinemann.
Parson, J., 1985, ‘The Labour Reserve in Historical Perspective: Towards a Political Economy of the
Bechuanaland Protectorate’, in Picard, L., ed., The Evolution of Modern Botswana, Rex Collins.
Parsons, N., 1975, ‘Khama and Co and the Jousse Trouble 1910-1916’, Journal of African History,
Vol. 16, No 3 (383-408).
Parsons, N., 1977, The Economic History of Khama’s Country in Botswana 1844- 1930, in Palmer R and
Parsons N (eds.) Roots of Rural Poverty in Central and Southern Africa, Berkeley, University of
California Press, pp. 113-141.
Parsons, Q., and Crowder, M., 1988, Monarch of all I Survey: Bechuanaland Diaries 1929-37,
Gaborone: Botswana Society, L Barber Press.
Ramasy, J et al. 1996, Historical Dictionary of Botswana, Lanham MD: Scarecrow. Rodney, W., 1972,
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, London: Bogle-Samatar, I., 1999, An African Miracle, State and Class Leadership and Colonial Legacy in Botswana
Development, Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Schapera, I., 1947, Migrant Labour and Tribal Life, Oxford: OUP. Schapera, I., 1984, The Tswana,
London: International African Institute.
Sillery, A., 1965, Founding a Protectorate History of Bechuanaland, 1885-1895, London: Mouton and Co.
Steenkamp, P., 1991, ‘Cinderella of the Empire?: Development Policy in Bechuanaland in the 1930s’,
Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 17, No. 2. Taylor, J., 1978, ‘Mine Labour Recruitment in
the Bechuanaland Protectorate’,
Botswana Notes and Records, Vol. 10 (99-112).
Taylor, J.G., 1979, From Modernisation to Modes of Production. A critique of the Sociologies of
Development and Underdevelopment, London: Macmillan. Tlou, T., 1974, ‘The Nature of Batswana
States: Towards a Theory of Batswana Traditional Government – The Tawana Case’, Botswana National
Records, Vol. 6, pp. 57-75.
Wallerstein, I., 1961, Africa, the Politics of Independence: An Interpretation of Modern African
History, New York: Vintage Books.
Wylie, D., 1990, A Little God: The Twilight of Patriarchy in a Southern African
Chiefdom, Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.