Rhodes - Colossus of Southern Africa Quiz

Answer: Ill health

Cecil John Rhodes was born in Bishop's Stortford in 1853 and suffered from ill-health all of his life. He was sent to South Africa, when a teenager, as it was thought the better climate would benefit his fragile health.

Answer: Oxford University

Rhodes graduated in 1881 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He only spent two terms at Oxford in 1873 before ill-health forced his return to South Africa. His studies were postponed and from 1874 onwards Rhodes travelled back and forth between England and South Africa, studying for short periods at Oxford until he graduated some eight years later.

It was whilst he was at Oxford that he attended John Ruskin's inaugural lecture, which turned his thoughts towards British Imperialism. Rhodes had earlier argued for Irish Home Rule.

Answer: De Beers Mining Company

De Beers today controls approximately 60% of the world diamond market. The company was named after the De Beer brothers who originally owned the farm that the diamonds were found on. They were elated to receive £6300, for the rather unproductive farm, having bought it from the Government 11 years earlier for £50.

Answer: Prime Minister

Rhodes represented Barkly West from 1880 until his death in 1902. Rhodes envisaged a union of South African states, united under the British flag. To this end he set about uniting the English and the Boers. One way he did this was to restrict African access to education and to owning property in 1892. In 1894 he set up a new system of "native administration".

Answer: Teaching of Dutch as well as English in schools

Rhodes was also instrumental in his period of Prime Minister in removing many of the legal restrictions that had been placed upon the Dutch-speakers. His constituency of Barkly West was largely rural and the majority of the voters within it were Dutch.

Answer: Zimbabwe and Zambia

Rhodes set up the British South Africa Company which in 1889 received the Royal Charter which, amongst other things, enabled it to keep its own police force. With one eye on his imperialistic dreams and the other on business interests, using cunning and trickery he persuaded Lobengula, King of the Matabele to cede the British South Africa Company the sole rights to mine in his lands. Rhodesia, known today as Zimbabwe, began to be colonised by white settlers and Rhodes using the terms in the Royal Charter, quelled any unrest by the Africans and pushed on to establish Northern Rhodesia, known today as Zambia.

He dreamt of a railway that ran from Cape Town to Cairo with a swathe of British controlled land either side.

Answer: Kimberley

All four of the towns where under siege from the Boers at one time or another during the second Boer War. Rhodes hurried to Kimberley to protect his business interests and was besieged there from October 1899 until it was relieved in February 1900. He helped in setting up sanitation and defences, although the military found him more of a hindrance than a help, as Rhodes expected them to follow his plans, not he theirs.

Answer: The Jameson Raid

Leander Jameson set off from Pitsani on the Transvaal/Bechuanaland border with 600 men on 29th December 1895. Rhodes had secretly sent guns into the Transvaal to be used by the British in a co-ordinated uprising against the Boer government. Unfortunately the uprising didn't occur, but no word could be got to Jameson and after a few skirmishes in which he lost many men, Jameson surrended to Piet Cronje at Doornkop on 2nd of January 1896.

The British South Africa Company, through which the guns had been smuggled into the Transvaal, was forced to pay the Boer Republic £1 million in compensation.

Answer: Princess Catherine Radziwill

Polish Princess Catherine Radziwill claimed to be having an affair with Rhodes, which he denied. On one occasion she asked him to marry her. He declined. True to the axiom, the scorned woman accused Rhodes of loan fraud and he was forced to go to trial to clear his name, which he did. The trial took its toll on his fragile health and Rhodes died soon afterwards. Rhodes was buried on a hilltop called World's View in what is today the Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe.

Answer: The Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholarships have been awarded to approximately 7,000 people. The Scholarships are open to people from Germany, USA and the British Commonwealth (outside Britain) - a generous gift from an extraordinary man.