The Great Betrayal: The Memoirs of Ian Douglas Smith is a 1997 autobiographic apologia written by Ian Smith, focusing on his time as Prime Minister of the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, later Rhodesia. The book was republished in 2001 with the title Bitter Harvest: The Great Betrayal. In the book, Smith attempts to explain the rationales for his political decisions. Smith discusses several "great betrayals", especially that of Britain. It also devotes many pages to criticizing his political enemies, especially Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.
Publication history
It was published by Blake Publishing in London in 1997. The book was controversial even prior to its publication; it was originally going to be published by HarperCollins, but they refused to publish the book unless Smith made his language less intense. They particularly took issue with describing Robert Mugabe as a terrorist, and refusing to use the name "Zimbabwe". He refused and the book was dropped by HarperCollins. The title refers to the "betrayal" by the British commonwealth.
Due to a resurgence of interest in Zimbabwe due to its political and economic struggles under Mugabe, the book was republished in 2001 with the title Bitter Harvest: The Great Betrayal and the Dreadful Aftermath. This edition has some updates from the first. He also discusses the mistakes he believes Rhodesian politicians made.
Reception and analysis
Stanley Uys, writing for The Times Literary Supplement, said of The Great Betrayal that it was a "highly personalized" memoir, "likely to both enlighten and mislead historians for years to come". Samuel M. Makinda was critical of the work, saying Smith demonstrated a lack of awareness of the consequences of his actions, though said "It is, perhaps, unreasonable to call this book 'disappointing,' since that would suggest that one had higher expectations." The book continues to have popularity with conservatives who view it as evidence of the negative effects of multiculturalism.