An Unintended Consequence of Sanctions: Marriage,Divorce,and Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence

Abstract

This article shows how the lives of a small group of unfortunate people were heavily disrupted by the British Government's decision not to accept certain legal decisions made in Rhodesia after 1965. In particular, it explains how the Government's refusal to accept divorce rulings made by judges appointed after the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) had significant ramifications and led to important developments in English law. It further explains how this was largely a consequence of politicians’ failure to prepare for a lengthy UDI, and was part of a wider lack of preparation for a long crisis.