Colonial policy and wartime resource extraction in Swaziland : the case of taxation, levies, and 'voluntary' contributions, 1940-1946

The subject of economic relations under colonialism has been debated by historians and other scholars for a long time. There is a large body of literature showing how colonial resources were utilised in different periods to further the economic interests of the colonising power. The time of the Second World War has very clear evidence of such developments as shown by numerous scholarly studies. However, such analysis is not yet balanced or comprehensive as some countries have not benefitted from such attention. Most importantly, there are still few sources dedicated to an analysis of financial transfers from the colonies to the colonising power in some countries. This is certainly the case for Swaziland and this article uses taxes, levies, and other forms of financial extraction to demonstrate that in certain historical periods the colonies were burdened by financial demands from the colonising power. The article argues that during the Second World War financial resources were squeezed out of Swaziland by Britain through taxes, different forms of levies, and 'coerced' contributions.