An Unequal Partnership: Nyasaland and the Central African Federation, 1953-1963.

Abstract: From 1953-1963 Nyasaland was a part of the Central African Federation, along with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. The establishment of the Federation was hugely unpopular in Nyasaland due to fears it would be dominated by the white settler community in Southern Rhodesia. Supporters of the Federation, in the UK and Southern Rhodesia, argued that Nyasaland would gain financially from inclusion in the Federation and this would win over public support. Using an Analytic Narrative approach, this thesis explores how public expenditure and labour migration changed over the course of the Federation. Nyasaland’s position as a periphery country is established using World Systems Analysis. The thesis finds that over the course of the Federation, an increasing number of migrants travelled to South Africa rather than Southern Rhodesia. The thesis also finds that public expenditure did increase dramatically over the course of the Federation. Hechter’s Theory of Nationalism is then used to explain why, despite this increase in public expenditure, the Federation continued to be unpopular in Nyasaland.