Wind of Change (speech) facts for kids
The "Wind of Change" speech was a famous talk given by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. He delivered it to the Parliament of South Africa on 3 February 1960 in Cape Town. Before this, he had spent a month visiting many British colonies in Africa.
From 1945 to 1951, the Labour Party in Britain had started a process called decolonisation. This meant giving independence to countries that were once under British rule. But when the Conservative Party took over in 1951, this process slowed down. Macmillan's speech showed that the Conservative Party now supported independence for these territories.
The speech got its name from a very important line:
The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.
Macmillan had actually given this speech once before in Accra, Ghana (which used to be the British colony of the Gold Coast) on 10 January 1960. But it didn't get much attention then. This time, in Cape Town, it became famous. This was partly because of the very quiet and serious way it was received. Macmillan's Cape Town speech also made it clear that he included South Africa in his comments. It showed a change in British policy regarding South Africa's apartheid system.
He said:
As a fellow member of the Commonwealth it is our earnest desire to give South Africa our support and encouragement, but I hope you won't mind my saying frankly that there are some aspects of your policies which make it impossible for us to do this without being false to our own deep convictions about the political destinies of free men to which in our own territories we are trying to give effect.
Sometimes, people call it the "Winds of Change" speech, but Macmillan used the word "wind" (singular) in his original speech. He even named the first part of his life story Winds of Change in 1966.
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Why the Speech Happened
Harold Macmillan was the British prime minister from 1957 to 1963. He was part of the Conservative Party. During his time, Britain was doing well financially, and tensions from the Cold War were easing.
However, the British Empire, which had been very large, was becoming too expensive to manage. Many people in Britain felt that running the empire was more trouble than it was worth. Also, people in Africa and Asia wanted to rule themselves. This led the British government to decide to start giving independence to its colonies. This process is called decolonisation.
After Second World War, the British Empire began to shrink. The United States also encouraged Britain to let its colonies become independent. The US wanted to trade with these new countries and feared that if they didn't get independence, they might turn to communism.
At the same time, African nationalism was growing stronger. People in Africa were demanding to govern themselves. However, in places like Southern Africa, there were many white settlers. They did not want black people to have majority rule.
The "Wind of Change" speech in 1960, along with the independence of British Somaliland that year, marked the start of a decade when many former colonies became independent nations. In total, 27 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean gained independence during this time.
African People Want Independence
African nationalism became much stronger during the Second World War. Britain needed resources from its African colonies to fight the Axis powers. African people helped in the war, hoping to get more political and economic chances afterwards. When they didn't get these rewards, they became upset and started to campaign for independence.
The British West African colony of the Gold Coast was a key place for the African independence movement in the 1950s. Its people were well-educated and strongly supported independence. They had campaigned for self-rule even before the Second World War. After the war, Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's Party (CPP) led peaceful protests to demand self-government. In 1951, the CPP won many seats in an election. Nkrumah became prime minister, and the colony became independent as Ghana in 1957.
In other African colonies, white settlers often opposed independence. They usually had more political and economic power. They tried to keep Africans from voting and wanted to combine colonies into larger groups. However, the white settlers could not stop the strong feeling of African nationalism. There were warnings that if power wasn't transferred quickly, African nationalism would cause problems for colonial rule. To work with the new African governments, Britain needed to grant them independence or at least allow them to rule themselves.
By 1960, Macmillan's government was worried about violent clashes between African nationalists and colonial powers in places like the Belgian Congo and French Algeria. They feared this violence could spread to British colonies. Macmillan went to Africa to give his "Wind of Change" speech. He said: "The wind of change is blowing through this continent and whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it." Soon after, Iain Macleod, who was in charge of the colonies, sped up the plans for independence in East Africa. Tanganyika became independent in 1961, Uganda in 1962, and Kenya in 1963.
What Happened After the Speech
The speech not only confirmed Britain's plan for decolonisation but also led to big political changes. The Union of South Africa became the Republic of South Africa in 1961 and left the Commonwealth of Nations. The change in Britain's attitude towards decolonisation was a major reason for this.
In South Africa, the speech was not welcomed by everyone. There was a strong negative reaction from some members of the Conservative Party in Britain. They wanted Britain to keep its colonies. This led to the creation of a group called the Conservative Monday Club, which wanted to keep the empire.
The Speech in South Africa
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The year 1960 was full of changes. South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd announced that South Africa would vote on becoming a republic. After Macmillan's speech on 3 February, there was a serious attack against Verwoerd on 9 April. Later, the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) were made illegal.
Macmillan did not write the "Wind of Change" speech all by himself. Many friends and colleagues helped him choose the right words for this sensitive situation. He wanted to show that Britain was moving away from its colonial past. He also wanted to quietly encourage black nationalists to seek freedom and equality. Another reason was pressure from the US government for European nations to end colonialism. By announcing Britain's commitment to decolonisation, he opened up new political opportunities. The speech was a bold attempt to address many different groups and interests at once.
Before the speech, Macmillan went on a six-week tour of Africa, starting on 5 January. He visited Ghana, Nigeria, Rhodesia, Nyasaland, and then South Africa, where he met with Verwoerd. Macmillan tried to explain that changes were necessary because of the two world wars.
Macmillan gave his speech for several reasons. It mainly talked about Britain separating from its South African colonies. It also showed disagreement with the apartheid system. The speech promised major policy changes on decolonisation. It was given twice. First in Ghana, but few people attended, and there was no press coverage. The second time, on 3 February in Cape Town, it was widely reported and received mixed reactions.
The speech was successful in clearly stating Britain's intention to leave Africa as a colonial power. However, if Macmillan also hoped to convince White South Africans to abandon Verwoerd's apartheid ideas, that part of the speech was not successful. Still, it was an important moment for a powerful leader from the Western world to speak out against apartheid and encourage black nationalists to achieve equality.
Some people felt the speech was like "Britain giving up in Africa" and "abandoning white settlers." Not everyone thought it was the right decision. Some black nationalists were initially unsure about the speech because they had been prevented from meeting Macmillan during his visit. Small groups of ANC supporters gathered in Johannesburg and Cape Town. They held signs asking Macmillan to talk with their leaders, with banners saying, "Mac, Verwoerd is not our leader." It is said that Nelson Mandela thought the speech was "terrific." He later mentioned Macmillan's speech in a talk to the British Parliament in 1996. Also, Albert Luthuli said the speech gave African people "some inspiration and hope."
Some people noted that Macmillan seemed nervous during the speech. He had difficulty turning the pages because he knew he was giving a speech he had kept secret from Verwoerd. He had only given Verwoerd a summary of the main points.
When the speech ended, Verwoerd looked visibly shocked. He reportedly stood up immediately and calmly responded to Macmillan. His response was admired by the public. He had to react quickly to Macmillan's surprising words. He famously replied, "There must not only be justice to the Black man in Africa, but also to the White man." He argued that Europeans had no other home, and Africa was now their home too. He also said they were strongly against communism and that their ways were based on Christian values.
Saul Dubow said that the speech accidentally helped Verwoerd. It made him seem stronger in South African politics and helped him connect his ideas of republican nationalism and apartheid.
Today, the original drafts and final copies of the speech are kept at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.
British Reactions at Home
Most of the reactions in Britain came from members of the Conservative Party. Macmillan's speech was an official declaration of a change in policy for the British Empire. However, the government had already been slowly moving towards decolonisation in Africa. This slow process was first planned only for West Africa. Areas with European inhabitants were not initially seen as part of this decolonisation. So, after Macmillan's speech, many Conservative Party members were surprised and felt betrayed.
Lord Kilmuir, who was in Macmillan's Cabinet, said:
Few utterances in recent history have had more grievous consequences... in Kenya the settlers spoke bitterly of a betrayal, and the ministers of the Federation approached the British government with equal suspicion.
These feelings were shared by European settlers in Africa and by some members of Macmillan's own party. They felt he had taken the party in the wrong direction. This was clear from how quickly decolonisation happened. After the speech, the British government felt pressure from economic and political groups who had interests in the colonies. Lord Salisbury, another Conservative Party member, believed that European settlers in Kenya, along with the African people, would prefer to stay under British rule.
Before the speech, the Federation government had rejected the idea that black-majority rule would be best in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Because the copperbelt (a rich mining area) was in Northern Rhodesia, economic interests were against decolonisation. This shows some of the anger and betrayal felt by Conservatives after Macmillan's speech. Many Conservatives also worried that rapid decolonisation would make Britain seem weak. Even though Macmillan said in his speech that Britain's power had not faded, the economic effects of a weak empire were a concern.
On the other hand, some British people wondered if the speech was truly sincere. Macmillan spoke against apartheid in the speech. Since the speech was given in South Africa, British media wondered if there would be any immediate policy changes. Besides apartheid, the decolonisation process raised questions about the responsibilities of colonial powers once colonies gained independence. Many felt that countries like Ghana were given independence quickly only because there were no strong economic reasons to keep them. These factors caused disagreements within Britain and made relations with other nations more complicated.
Conservative Monday Club
As a direct result of the "Wind of Change" speech, some Members of Parliament formed the Conservative Monday Club. They wanted to discuss party policy changes and stop decolonisation. They also felt that Macmillan had not truly represented the party's original goals. This group strongly opposed decolonisation and showed the feelings of betrayal and distrust after the foreign policy changes from the "Wind of Change" speech. Many Conservatives saw the speech as another step towards completely ending the British Empire. The Conservative Monday Club was founded because of Macmillan's speech, showing that many Conservatives at home felt angry and distrustful of him.
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