Friedman equated universal suffrage in Rhodesia with minority-rule black government

Evidence

Milton Friedman condemned sanctions against Rhodesia in two editorials for Newsweek, one of which appeared first in the London Sunday Times. In the 1976 column, published ­after he traveled to the region, he made the initially perplexing argument that ” ‘Majority rule’ for Rhodesia ­today is a euphemism for a black-­minority government, which would almost surely mean both the eviction or exodus of most of the whites and also a drastically lower level of living and opportunity for the masses of black Rhodesians.” In defining universal suffrage as “minority rule,” Friedman expressed his skepticism about the practice of democracy in the United States itself. — Quinn Slobodian, Globalists, 582

Categorization

• SHARE: A striking detail for anyone teaching a course on economic thought: Friedman openly framed universal suffrage as just another form of minority rule, not just in apartheid states but at home.