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Macmillan’s 'winds of change’ speech in Parliament

This Day in History: February 3, 1960
Additional Date: February 3, 1960
Harold Macmillan, British Conservative prime minister, delivered his 'winds of change' speech, condemning apartheid, to members of both Houses of Parliament in Cape Town. He suggested that the South African government had not yet appreciated the force of the "winds of change" in the world and especially in Africa. This was the first international criticism against the policies of racial segregation delivered within South Africa. SA Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd rejected Macmillan's assertions in his reply.