![]() (Gross 61) Accessing The Gateway to the North Added to this, the absorption of the greater portion of the world under our rule simply means the end of all wars. The objects one should work for are first the furtherance of the British Empire, the bringing of the whole uncivilized world under British rule, the recovery of the United States, the making of the Anglo-Saxon race but one Empire. I contend that every acre added to our territory means the birth of more of the English race who otherwise would not be brought into existence. ![]() ![]() I contend that we are the finest race in the world, and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race. Scholars have labeled this as his “Confession of Faith”: Rhodes contended that sharing British imperialist ideals would benefit all humans. ![]() (113) Building Empire: Rhodes’ “Confession of Faith” To myself, thinking over the same question, the wish came to me to render myself useful to my country. It often strikes a man to inquire what is the chief good in life to one the thought comes that it is a happy marriage, to another great wealth, and as each seizes on the idea, for that he more or less works for the rest of his existence. In Rhodes, Antony Thomas included Rhodes’ explanation of his British idealism: However, Rhodes’ desire to build a personal empire fell a distant second to his desire to increase the British throne’s colonization of Africa. He amassed great wealth through entrepreneurial endeavors. In addition to founding the company that remains the world’s largest commercial diamond producer, De Beers Consolidated Mines, he also invested in railroads. Rhodes considered the transportation industry a more stable business than diamonds, and he envisioned a line that stretched from the Cape of South Africa to Cairo, Egypt. Rhodes’ Vision Edward Linley Sanbourne, The Rhodes Colossus: Caricature of Cecil John Rhodes, after he announced plans for a telegraph line and railroad from Cape Town to Cairo, 10 December 1892/public domainĪt the end of the nineteenth century, Rhodes fixated on a vision of the map of Africa, which would be colored exclusively in red, which represented British control. In 1902, Rhodes’ heart condition led to his early death. In 1895, the settlers renamed the land Rhodesia, after Rhodes. Rhodes was one of the most significant agents in the treaties and negotiations that dispossessed the Ndebele and Shona peoples. He became one of the wealthiest men in Africa, and political success followed financial success. In the 1890s he served as Prime Minister of the Cape as he worked to expand Britain’s land holdings throughout Africa. In 1888 he founded the De Beers diamond mines. He earned a fortune by pumping out others’ mines, then he devised a plan to monopolize the diamond markets in order to retain the jewel’s value. Health problems forced him to cut his post-graduate studies short in 1873, and he returned to the mines amidst their flooding. While he amassed a fortune in Kimberley’s diamond trading, he devoted part of each year to continuing his education. In 1873, he began traveling back and forth between South Africa and Oxford University’s Oriel College for eight years. Reports of successful gold and diamond mines enticed the Rhodes brothers to Kimberly where Rhodes built his fortune by investing in mining, railroads, and lucrative schemes. Rhodes began to develop his belief in the the strength and mission of British colonialism in South Africa. ![]() His dreams of moving into new territories grew after he joined his brother in cotton farming in Natal. Rhodes’ parents sent him to join an older brother in South Africa. The exoticism of the new continent thrilled Rhodes, providing entirely new territories for his exploration. Cecil was quite sick as an adolescent, so much so that one week before his seventeenth birthday and with the expectation that Rhodes’ overworked heart could wear out within six months time, the physician recommended the Victorian panacea - a long sea journey - for his recovery (Roberts 7). Although Rhodes debated whether to follow in his father’s footsteps as a vicar or his brothers’ paths in the army, he knew neither choice suited him. Introduction Image by Nicke L/Public Domainīorn in 1853 in Hertfordshire, England, Cecil Rhodes was the fifth son of Reverend Francis William Rhodes. ![]()
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