Anniversary of the Independence of the Kingdom of Lesotho
On this day, October 4th, 1966, Lesotho gained its independence from Britain. The Kingdom of Lesotho, which located in southern Africa, fell under British protection for the first time in 1868, when King Moshoeshoe I, founder of Basuto (currently Lesotho), turned to the British for help due to his country being exposed to successive attacks and regional conflicts. In 1884, Basutoland became a British colony.
The British tried to disarm the Basuto people several times but they failed to control them. In 1910 the Basutoland National Council was established, which consisting of elected leaders and members, and the neighborhood councils were established in 1943 to manage the local government of the country. The movement towards self-government began with the drafting of the constitution in 1960.
The first elections were held in 1965, in which the Basutoland party won. Party leader "Leabua Jonathan" became the prime minister, and the grandson of Moshoeshoe became the king of the country. On October 4th, 1966, Basutoland became the independent kingdom of Lesotho.
