page_title: Wind of Change (speech)
section_title: The original delivery and its impact in South Africa
hierarchical_section_title: Wind of Change (speech) / The original delivery and its impact in South Africa
caption_attribution_description: Houses of Parliament (Cape Town, South Africa)
context_page_description: The "Wind of Change" speech was a historically significant address made by the UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the Parliament of South Africa, on 3 February 1960 in Cape Town. He had spent a month in Africa visiting a number of what were then British colonies. The speech signalled clearly that the Conservative-led UK Government had no intention to block the independence to many of these territories. The Labour government of 1945–51 had started a process of decolonisation, but this policy had been halted by the Conservative governments from 1951 onwards.
  The speech acquired its name from a quotation embedded in it. Macmillan said:
  The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.
  The occasion was in fact the second time on which Macmillan had given this speech: he was repeating an address already made in Accra, Ghana on 10 January 1960. This time it received press attention, at least partly because of the stony reception that greeted it.
context_section_description: The year 1960 was rife with change. Starting with the surprising announcement by Prime Minister Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd that a referendum would be held in regards to whether South Africa should become a republic; After Harold Macmillan’s speech on 3 February, there was an assassination attempt made against Verwoerd on 9 April, and the African National Congress (ANC)  and Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) were declared illegal in a state of emergency, along with other controversies.
  Harold Macmillan did not solely compose the speech commonly known as the "Winds of Change"; he had input from numerous friends and colleagues who helped derive the perfect wording for the delicate situation. The Prime Minister wanted to separate the British nation, but also inspire the black nationalists there to pursue their freedom and equality subtly. The other hidden motive is that during this period there was much dissent amongst the powerful Western nations over the level of involvement and the continued interference of Britain in her colonies. By separating themselves from the archaic practices that were condemned by their powerful allies they opened themselves up to more political opportunity. This was a bold attempt to address multiple parties and interests at once.
  Before he delivered the speech, Macmillan went on a six-week tour of Africa that began on 5 January. He began with Ghana, Nigeria, Rhodesia & Nyasaland and then South Africa where the meeting finally happened with Prime Minister Verwoerd. Macmillan tried to explain the necessity of change brought upon them by the two world wars.
  When Harold Macmillan delivered his speech, it was done for multiple reasons. Although the main subject matter of the speech is relating to the separation of Britain from its South African colonies, it also made reference to their discontent with the apartheid system and it held positive political results for the British nation. The speech held promise of major policy change on the topic of their decolonisation, and was actually delivered twice in two different locations. First it was done in Ghana, but there was no press coverage and few people even attended the event in Accra. The second, more widely reported telling was on 3 February in Cape Town and was met with very mixed reviews.
  If the speech would be judged on its quality of deliverance and content, it would be considered a success. When considering if this speech was successful, one must place it next to its objectives. The speech did lay down a relatively clear understanding of Britain’s intended exit as a colonial power in Africa, so in the larger scheme it achieved its purpose. However, when considering there is indication that Macmillan’s intent was to sway White South Africans to abandon Verwoerd's apartheid dogma, that part of the speech was a failure. It was an important moment to have such a distinguished, powerful figure from the Western world admonishing the practices and encouraging the black nationalists to achieve equality, but it still was not as groundbreaking or immediately effective as was the implied intent.
  There was some belief that the policy outlined in the speech was seen as "British abdication in Africa" and "the cynical abandonment of white settlers".  Not everyone felt that it was the right move for the nation to make. However, there was a slightly ambiguous reaction from some of the Black nationalists; they had been prevented from meeting Macmillan – assumingly by Verwoerd – over the course of his visit and were skeptical about his speech at first. Small groups of ANC supporters gathered in both Johannesburg and Cape Town and stood in silence while holding placards with urgings directed at Macmillan. They wanted him to talk with Congress leaders, and reached out to him with banners saying: "Mac, Verwoerd is not our leader." It is even said that Mandela thought the speech was "terrific" and he even made a speech in 1996 that specifically recalled this very address when he spoke to the UK Parliament in Westminster Hall. Albert Luthuli noted that in his speech, Macmillan g
caption: The South African Houses of Parliament in Cape Town where the speech was originally delivered
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