Boer War Flashcards
(69 cards)
1
Q
All causes of the Boer War ?
A
Political
Economic
Social
Strategic
Influence of Individuals
2
Q
How was political a cause of the Boer War
A
- Britain desire for s South African Federation ( which included Transvaal and the Orange Free State to ensure British control in the area
However, the boers were fiercely independent and determined to resist British control. This increased tensions - Failure at Bloemfontein Conference Milner demanded the Transvaal grant voting rights to the Uitlanders but Kruger refused.
- Afraid of a German alliance the Kaiser openly supported the Boers
3
Q
Economic cause of the Boer War ?
A
- Transvaal’s prestige and power grew with the discovery of gold. They became economically powerful. Britain, especially Rhodes and Chamberlain, were worried about British dominance in Southern Africa was threatened
- Boers also imposed tariffs which damaged British trade in the region
- As the Transvaal, had some financial gain and prosperity, Britain wanted entrance and control of this lucrative area.
4
Q
Social cause of the Boer War
A
- Concern over the rights of Uitlanders in Transvaal ( many of whom were British )
- Kruger’s denial of voting rights to the Uitlanders gave British a pretext for interference in Transvaal.
- Tom Edgar, an Englishmen, was shot by a Transvaal policeman In 1898. This prompted Uitlander outrage and pressure on British government to intervene.
5
Q
Strategic cause of the Boer War
A
- quest for British consideration was largely to counter German territorial gains and Boer confidence derived from Transvaal’s gold wealth
- Control of Transvaal would ensure British control In Southern Africa.
6
Q
How was influence of individuals a cause of the Boer War ?
A
Aim and ambitions of individuals - Cecil Rhodes , president of the Cape Colony from 1890, dreamed of bringing the whole of Africa under British rule. Standing the way of his ambitions were the Boer Republics. Thus his aim to gain control of the area.
- Joseph Chamberlain - influential individual was also concerned of British control - he was supportive of aggressive policy
7
Q
How did the Boers get more powerful ?
A
- became economically powerful after discovery of gold
- it had extended its control over Swaziland by establishing by establishing its own independent rail network to the Portuguese port of Lourenço Marques
8
Q
Kaiser Wilhelm involvement with the Boers ?
A
- the Kaiser sent a telegram of support following the Jameson Reid known as Kruger Telegram
- supplied the Boers with weapons during the 1899- 1902 war.
9
Q
What made the British angry and made them realise that the Transvaal threatened their colonies ?
A
- Transvaal proposed to building a railway through Portuguese East Africa thereby by passing British controlled ports in Natal and Cape Colony. this would undermine the prosperity of the British colonies
10
Q
all consequences of the Boer War
A
- cost of war
- changes in foreign policy
- national efficiency
- impact of the war on empire
11
Q
human cost of the Boer War ?
A
22,000 British soldiers died
100,000 were wounded
12
Q
financial cost of the Boer War ?
A
- The war cost 210 million
13
Q
impact of the financial cost of the war ?
A
-Led to questions about expansion and annexation of countries due to the rising poverty in the early 20th century in Britain
14
Q
How did the Boer War led to calls for National Efficiency ?
A
- Army standards of health and physical development had been reportedly lowered and there was deteriorating in health and nations.
- 30,000 Boers had held out against British forces for two and a half years in SA
15
Q
How did National Efficiency cause concern ?
A
Led to concern about how the nation needed to be better educated and healthier therefore support for empire was decreasing
16
Q
What did National Efficiency lead to questions over ?
A
- Led to questions being asked about the need for Empire as the situation in Britain was not amazing- rising poverty in the early 20th century.
17
Q
How did the need for national efficiency spread ?
A
- Journalists and political commentators spoke about the need for rational efficiency.This spread the view to the public that empire was partly to blame for the living standards
18
Q
Why did Britain change their foreign policy ?
A
- policy of ‘ splendid isolation’ during the war had not been splendid and was far from successful.
- fears of invasion as international opinion sympathised
19
Q
How did British secure allies ?
A
- Britain, warned by the Russian threat in the far east, allied with Japan in 1902
- In 1904 British made an entente with France.
20
Q
Impact of Boer War on attitudes ?
A
- Some see the Boer War as the first nail in the coffin of the British Empire. However, imperial enthusiasm and attitudes survived the war and remained high
21
Q
Impact of Boer War on colonies of Empire ?
A
- short lived rebellions in Natal, Kenya, Nigeria and British Guiana between 1902 and 1914 but these were easily suppressed.
- unrest in India and Egypt
But generally the Empire was peaceful.
22
Q
How did the Boer War destabilise British moral superiority ?
A
- fighting a white name undermined Britains civilising mission which was expressed largely in Britain
23
Q
When was the Jameson Raid?
A
New Year Weekend of 1895/96
24
Q
What happened in the Jameson raid and how was it a failure?
A
Force of 6000 men in hopes of starting an uprising in the Transvaal
- British tried to pretend they weren’t behind it
- British failure was a major embarrassment for the British government
- no more than 20 people killed in the resulting skirmish
25
How did the Boers view the Jameson raid?
Almost as a declaration of war
26
What was the relationship between Britain and the Boers after the Jameson raid?
Uneasy peace in following years, with political pressure put on the Boers from the British
27
How did Milner worsen the tension between Britain and Boers following the Jameson raid?
Broke off talks with Kruger in the Bloemfontein Conference (31st May - 5th June 1899)
28
How did Britain defend their participation in the Boer war?
Claimed they had tried to be reasonable and agreed with the Boers
29
What was a massive turning point in British interest in SA?
Discovery of Gold in Transvaal in 1886
30
What did Britain want to happen to SA that Boers didn’t want?
Imperialists sought a unification of the whole of South African under Britain and the Boer Republics were missing pieces of the puzzle
The Boers wanted their independence
31
Why were the Boers always going to fight for their independence?
They were very territorial and fiercely opposed outside control, especially from the British
32
Who were Uitlanders?
Mainly British people who wanted wealth from new gold discovery in Transvaal so moved here
33
Why did the appointment of Chamberlain to the colonial office and Alfred Milner as British High Commissioner escalate tensions for the Boer War?
They were both ardent imperialists, wanting to press ahead with the unification of SA under Britain
. Encouraged Uitlander discontent, hoping to provoke some kind of revolt from the Uitlander’s so they had an excuse to take some control over Kruger’s government
34
How did the Jameson raid affect Britian?
Kruger became the Boer people’s hero
‘Afrikaner bond’ formed: anti-British bond made by Boers still living in Cape Colony to show they were willing to help fellow Boers in the Transvaal
35
How did Chamberlain feel about entering the Boer war?
Wanted to avoid war but wasn’t going to allow British influence to be weakened
36
Who started the Boer War and how?
Boer republics invade Cape Colony and Natal on 12th October 1899 as they see Britain didn’t want peace after rejecting the ultimatum
37
Which battles did Britain fail to push the Boers away in December 1899 (Black Week)?
Battle of Stormberg
. Battle of Magersfontein
. Battle of Colenso
38
Why was ‘Black week” a massive shock for the British public?These successive defeats were not ordinary for Britain, British weren’t used to defeat
These successive defeats were not ordinary for Britain, British weren’t used to defeat
39
How did the British empire strike back after failures during Black week?
Ended up sending more men to SA and amassed over 400k soldiers
. British public greatly volunteered to serve
. First war where British society took up arms
- many joined new formations such as the Imperial Yeomanry
. This volunteering to war inspired the same for WW1
40
What was the role of Black Africans in the Boer War?
Britain had made a tacit agreement with the Boers that both sides wouldn’t arm the Black population
. As war progressed, black people were armed as scouts for Britain
. Around 15-30k black Africans served with the British army as scouts and sentries
- another 100k worked as builders, labourers, blacksmiths etc
41
When did the Boer War seem over?
As OFS and Transvaal had been annexed by September 1900
42
How did Boers refuse to lose even when Britain believed the war was over?
Came back with guerilla warfare which was extremely effective as Boers knew their soil well
43
How did the sections of the Boer war go?
1899: Boers in control
1900-Summer of 1900: British respond and turn the tables
November 1900-May 1902: Boers get back with guerrilla war, frustrating the British
44
How were the Boers effective at guerilla warfare?
Good hunters, knew the terrain
. Supplied with Germany’s new rifles
. Captured supplies, disrupted communications and undertook raids
45
How did Kitchener’s ‘scorched earth policy’ work and why was it used?
It was incinerating Boer farms and livestock (destroying everything), allowing the supplies for the Boer fighters to be removed
- areas would be split into a grid, with each grid guarded with a blockhouse controlling a singular area to be burnt.
- all families destroyed in the burning in each area was sent to a tiny ‘concentration camp’
Intended to make the Boers surrender
46
How many Boers died in the camps and from what?
Around 28000 from starvation, disease and exposure in the camps
47
How many died in the black camps?
At least 20,000
48
How were the concentration camps reacted to at home and abroad?
The treatment was condemned in Europe and the world
- French illustration of the ‘Gallant British’
. Britain’s rivals were keen to pounce on this mistreatment to make the empire look worse
. British found it very hard to now justify the empire doing ‘good for the world’
49
Who was Emily Hobhouse and what did she do?
British welfare campaigner who visited the concentration camps in 1901 and created a report amongst MPs on her return that produced public outrage
. Worked tirelessly to improve conditions in the camps
50
What did humanitarians, left-wing liberals and socialists in Britain call the concentration camps?
‘Methods of barbarism’
51
Why was the poor treatment in the Boer war hard to defend on a racial point of view?
Fighting against a ‘white civilisation’ was hard to defend as there was a racist imperial mindset among Brits
52
How did Britain show their vulnerability during the Boer war?
Their efforts came with large costs
Britain had to call on troops from elsewhere in the Empire, mainly India
Britain weren’t able to use their sea power in SA, showing they had weakness elsewhere
53
What did the Transvaal and OFS have to do after the Boer war?
Accept British sovereignty (superiority)
54
How was cooperation between British and Boers (consequence) seen after the Boer war?
Milner brought British and Boer colonies into a single customs union and amalgamated their railway systems
. 1910: parliaments of Cape Colony, Transvaal, Orange river colony and people of Natal agreed to create the Union of South Africa
. May 1902: Treaty of Vereeniging gave Boers £3 million to restore and restock farms
55
What was the Union of South Africa?
An INDEPENDENT dominion in the British empire
56
How was it clear that Britain and Boers quickly resolved relations?
Only 12 years after the Boer war, many of the Boer leaders in WW1 were allied with Britain and helped out
57
Reaction to deaths in concentration camps ?
- drew widespread and international criticism of imperialism
58
Social consequences in Britain ?
- exposed very deep divisions e..g widespread criticism
59
Impact of 'gold' being discovered for the Transvaal ?
- The 'mineral revolution' transformed the economic balance in the region to a rapidly increasing country with prosperity
60
J.A Hobson views of Boer War
- caused by a 'conspiracy of financiers' for whom the Uitlander issues was used as a cloak to hide desires for private profits
61
Role of Chamberlain and Milner in the cause of the Boer War ?
- Both Milner and Chamberlain expressed concerns about dangers for British interests in SA of a vibrant and independent Transvaal seemingly determined to cause difficulties for the British
62
Titles of Joseph Chamberlain and Alfred Milner
Joseph Chamberlain ( Colonial Secretary )
Alfred Milner ( British High Commissioner for SA )
63
British humiliations in early stages of war ?
- suffered series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Boers who laid siege to the towns of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking
- In one "black week" British lost battles at Stromberg, Magersfontein and Calanso
64
Impact of Kitchener scorched earth tactics
- caused political blunder and huge controversy
65
Left / liberal reaction to the Boer War ?
- Liberals argued totally against the treatment
- Growing left wing socialist press went even further in its denunciation of the war, they argued it was being fought by a 'privileged few' for 'capitalist aims'
View put forward by there scaliest press: War is fought for greedy ghosts who rejoice in the fact that very drop of blood will eventually be turned into gold for themselves
However, overall it is clear that these views were the minority and did not reflect broad public opinion to the war among working class and Britain as a whole.
Working class people believed it was being fought for the democratic rights of the Uitlanders
66
Growth of Anti - Imperialism ?
- Led to a definite anti imperialist group emerging
- Imperialism became synonymous with 'maverick politicians', 'capitalist cliques' and 'methods of barbarism'
67
Hobson in her study Imperialism ?
- produced a coherent and attack on imperialism
68
'Revolution' in British foreign policy ?
- Britain moved away from 'splendid isolation'
- Due to difficulties faced, British sought diplomatic agreement with imperial rivals : Anglo Japanese Alliance (1902), Anglo French Entente ( 1904) and Anglo Russian Convention
69
The End of the Pax Britanica
- War severely damaged widely held view that there Empire spread peace and prosperity across the globe
- Idea of 'world's policeman' when in an emergency would be called was deeply discredited
