History of Botswana

The history of Botswana ranges from the Stone Age settlement around 100,000 years ago the immigration of Bantu and the British protectorate of Bechuanaland through to independent state since 1966, Botswana.

Prehistory

In the metropolitan area of the Kalahari, a Stone Age settlement can already demonstrate good 100,000 years ago. The first settlers were the San and Khoikhoi related with them. Around 3000 BC began a great migration of Bantu peoples from West Africa. The reason for emigration is seen today in climatic changes that caused a gradual transformation of the Sahara region in a desert. Around the year 250 exceeded the Bantu the Zambezi and thus arrived in the territory of present-day Botswana; they led for the first time the iron processing in this space a.

Pre-colonial history

Around the year 650 was born in what is now the state of Botswana Toutswe, which reached its peak in 1050 and existed until about the year 1300. Economically based on this polity considerable cattle wealth. The Empire received his ( today's ) name in relation to archaeological finds on Toutswemogala Hill in Palapye.

Perhaps under pressure from the rising power of the neighboring kingdom of Great Zimbabwe collapsed, the state of Toutswe in the 14th century. Around this time, the migration of many Bakgalagadi, Basotho and Batswana began. The Batswana took advantage of the vacuum left by the decline of the Toutswereiches and settled in the area of present-day Botswana.

There were several small kingdoms, and in 1800 the whole eastern part of present-day Botswana of Batswana was settled.

In the course of Zulukriege in the 19th century attracted Bakololo and Ndebele - under general Mzilikazi - to the south, where it came to military confrontations with the Batswana. These recovered therefrom until 20 years later.

Colonial history

In 1840 began the colonization by the first white missionaries and traders who penetrated the area of modern Botswana. Founded in 1845 Sir David Livingstone in Kolobeng the first permanent mission station in Botswana. 1867 Karl Mauch discovered large gold deposits in the Tati.

In the 19th century moved from South Africa, large parts of the Afrikaner population fleeing from the British to the north, where they attacked various Tswana; they raised taxes and took slaves. The Botswana communities asked for the first time in August 1876, the British for help, which was granted by this later in the context of " protection contracts ".

On September 30, 1885 the territory of present-day Botswana was declared a British protectorate - the Bechuanaland. Technically, the area remained a protectorate and was never explained to the colony; but in practice this made no relevant difference. Following the Boer War in the early 20th century, the British began with the introduction of a control system ( Hut Tax), which was drafted by the local rulers. Here, their internal leadership remained untouched.

The British founded by Cecil Rhodes South Africa Company, equipped with sovereign rights monopoly company, presented itself later on, Bechuanaland continue to develop and manage - against awarding appropriate concessions for the exploitation of the country.

This was prevented by the Tswana kings Khama III. , Bathoen I. and I. Sebele who traveled to London in 1895, insisted on the observance of protection contracts and were able to enforce it. A certain degree of integration into the South African government, however, is consistently observed. The area was administered by Mafikeng, a place in South Africa from. 1910 formed the Protectorate Botswana and other countries, the South African Customs Union.

A development of the country is the British but not nachzusagen. Botswana was one of the poorest countries in Africa and decreed in the attainment of independence just over 8 km tarred roads.

First steps towards self-government and independence began in 1950 with the establishment of the joint Advisory Council, a multicultural advisory body. One was constituted in 1961 Constitution created a Parliament which also had advisory functions.

Independence and post-colonial history

In June 1964, the British decided to grant the country independence. The capital was moved in 1965 from Mafikeng in South Africa to Gaborone, so that the area had a country's own administrative seat for the first time. This year for the first time elections were held, in which the Botswana Democratic Party, founded in 1962 has achieved under the leadership of Seretse Khama more than 80 % of the vote. Botswana was finally independent on September 30, 1966, occurred at the same time the British Commonwealth at.

The economic situation in the country improved dramatically shortly after the attainment of independence, than in 1967 first at Orapa diamond large camps were discovered. In Botswana, we are told, this had already been discovered before, but kept secret so as not to jeopardize the dismissal to independence; There is no evidence for this, however.

First Seretse Khama became president, the king of Bangwato. Botswana joined together in 1974 with Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania to the group of " front-line states " together, which supported the liberation movements in Namibia and the then Southern Rhodesia. In 1979, these front-line states jointly founded with Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, the Southern African Development Conference ( Southern African Development Conference, SADCC ), first as a counterweight to South Africa. However, this occurred after the end of apartheid in 1992, the organization also at that now operates under the Southern African Development Community (Southern African Development Community, SADC). This has its headquarters in Gaborone.

Seretse Kama summoned the South African professor and former ANC officials Keodirelang Zachariah Matthews in 1966 in the diplomatic service of Botswana. This represented the interests of the country until his death in 1968. Both the United States and at the United Nations

After the death of Seretse Khama in 1980, initially was Ketumile Masire President, Festus Mogae succeeded in 1998. Festus Mogae was re-elected on 30 November 2004. Since April 2008, Ian Khama is the President of Botswana.

Since 1980, Botswana is a member of UNESCO.

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