South African War (Boer War)

Causes

Dutch Farmer (Boers, or Afrikaners) first settled in the 1659 in what is now South Africa.

First fighting between Afrikaners and Xhosas in 1779.

Britain gains full possession in 1815 under terms of the Congress of Vienna.  Large-scale British settlement began in 1820.  In 1833 Britain outlawed slavery, decreed better treatment of native workers, and were slow to protect Afrikaner frontiersman from raids.

In 1836, Boers leave on the Great Trek  to preserve their way of life.  This trek included many Africans and former slaves.

By the 1850s, Afrikaners established two republics outside of British control:  Transvaal (1852) and Orange Free State (1854)

In 1866, Gold was discovered in the Transvaal, which triggered massive immigration by British and others into Transvaal threatening the Boers’ way of life.

In 1877, Transvaal fell under British rule.

In 1881, Transvaal won independence again after a revolt (battle of Majuba).

The 1880s and 1890s saw greatly increased tension in Transvaal as President Kruger refused to extend civil rights to Uitlanders (mostly British immigrants) and continued discrimination against them.

Near Christmas of 1895, Sir Jameson led a raid from British territory to overthrow Kruger.  It failed and the Prime Minister of South Africa, Cecil Rhodes, was blamed along with Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain.

Kruger Telegram was sent by Wilhelm II congratulating the Afrikaners for fighting off British encroachment.  This infuriated the British public and, ironically, saved the hides of Jameson, Rhodes, and Chamberlain.  Wilhelm then sent a letter to his “Grandmama” Victoria “explaining” what he meant.  She termed his letter, “lame, and illogical.”

By 1899, after strengthening his army, allying with the Orange Free State and counting on the sympathy of the majority Cape Boers, Kruger determines that war was inevitable and declared war on Britain.

Practices

At the outset, the 60,000 Afrikaners are no match for the might of the British Empire.  Britain could easily summon 200,000 troops if need be.  And no one in his right mind thought that many troops would be needed to crush a rebellion by a bunch of farmers.

Black Week.  All three major British forces were crushed by Boer armies.  Britain’s PM considered negotiating.  Victoria said, “I will hear no talk of defeat.”

By 1900, Afrikaners invaded South Africa and laid siege to British garrisons in Kimberly, Ladysmith and Mafeking (and made a hero of Robert Baden-Powell who later founded the Boy Scouts).

The tide turned in the latter part of 1900 as new British forces (now 500,000!) arrived and crushed the Boer armies, freed Kimberly, Ladysmith and Mafeking, and occupied Pretoria, the capital of Transvaal.

From 1900 to 1902 the Afrikaners went “commando” (guerrilla warfare) but were slowly ground up by mobile British troops on horseback, the use of concentration camps to keep Afrikaner families separate from the commandos, and sometimes atrocities by some British units.

The mortality rate in the camps was 30% per year, a rate which horrified Victorian Britain and engendered opposition to the war.

Finally, in 1902, the Boers gave up and signed the peace treaty of Vereeniging which placed them under direct British rule.

Effects

Afrikaner independence was permanently ended.  Though a majority of the white population, they are clearly under British control.

Liberal British laws are extended to Africans much to the chagrin of the Boers.

Britain ended its most controversial war ever.  The public was divided over the conduct of the war as well as its morality.  Thousands of young Brits were dead and all to force a bunch of farmers on the other side of the world to join a country they hated.

Practically every country in the world condemned British actions there and especially after news leaked out of atrocities by British troops.

Britain’s policy of Splendid Isolation was now wobbly as she had no friends anywhere and all of Europe was hostile.  So Britain concluded an alliance with Japan in 1902 to help British interests in the Far East.

Germany’s meddling  and threats of intervention heightened British suspicions of Wilhelm II’s intentions and mental stability.

The war also pointed out to Germany that if she wanted to influence events overseas, she needed a navy big enough to threaten Britain herself.  A navy would force Britain to listen next time in a crisis.

French officials saw an opportunity to make friends with Britain due to German aggressiveness, but must be quiet about it as French public opinion was rabidly anti-British due to the war.