ABSTRACT

During the 1970s numerous British citizens travelled to Rhodesia, then an unrecognised state in rebellion against the Crown, to serve in the colony's armed forces during the Bush War. This article considers the significance of this issue from the perspective of the British Government, and discusses different approaches used by the British to prevent such activities. In doing this it shows how the government was under pressure from a number of different groups, making this issue more significant than numbers would suggest. It also reconstructs the methods by which attempts were supposedly made to encourage men to serve in Rhodesia. It suggests that, insofar as limited activities may have happened, they were actually rather haphazard, albeit difficult to prevent. It argues that this was an issue of significance, but that the framework of the British political and legal system mitigated against successful government action. It also engages with questions of British relations with newly independent African states, as well as conceptions of British responsibility in post-colonial Africa, and puts this issue into the broader context of mercenary activity in 1970s Africa.

摘要

在 1970 年代，许多英国公民前往罗得西亚，当时一个未被承认的国家反抗国王，在布什战争期间在殖民地的武装部队中服役。本文从英国政府的角度考虑了这个问题的重要性，并讨论了英国为防止此类活动而采取的不同方法。在这样做时，它显示了政府如何承受来自许多不同团体的压力，使这个问题比数字所暗示的更重要。它还重建了据称试图鼓励男性在罗得西亚服役的方法。它表明，就可能发生的有限活动而言，它们实际上是相当偶然的，尽管难以预防。它认为这是一个重要的问题，但英国政治和法律体系的框架削弱了政府行动的成功。它还涉及英国与新独立的非洲国家的关系问题，以及英国在后殖民非洲的责任概念，并将这个问题置于 1970 年代非洲雇佣军活动的更广泛背景中。