southern africa Flashcards
(32 cards)
why did Britain want to bring the Boer republic into a British confederation in Southern Africa?
The idea was advocated by the Cape Prime Minister Cecil Rhodes and Joseph Chamberlain was drawn into the idea in the 1890s- largely to counter German territorial gains and Boer confidence derived from the Transvaal gold wealth
In the 1895, gold seeking uitlanders of the Transvaal were being denied citizenship and voting rights by the Boer goverment and Paul Kruger, By 1895 the uitlanders outnumbered the Boers by 4 to 1 and paid 9/10 of the Transvaal taxes. They sought help from Cecil Rhodes and provided an excuse for British intervention.
British annexes Bastuoland and establishes a protectorate as it claims people were seeking protecting from the Boers.
1868
British annexes Griqualand West
1871
British annexes Griqualand East
1874
Annexation of the transvaal
1877
1885
British annexes Bechuanaland as a response to German territorial expansion in SW Africa and also as a way of preventing the combining of German-Boer colonies.
When does Britain take over Zululand, Natal and Mozambique
1885-87
BSAC takes over Mashonaland and establishes Fort Salisbury
1890
BSAC takes over Nyasaland
1891
what was national efficiency and why had it come about?
Across the media and political spectrum, there was a concern that the nation needed to become healthier and better educated. In 1902 it became common for journalists and political commentators to speak of the need for national efficiency as the only way of preventing Britain’s decline. This became a real concern just after the end of the Boer War where 30 000 Boers had held out against British
forces for almost 2 and a half years. Up to 40% of British recruits had been found unfit for military service. Living conditions and diet in Britain had weakened its manpower. British concerns were also heightened given the decline in British industrial power relative to that of the USA and Germany.
diamonds are discovered near Kimberly on the Vaal river in West Griqualand created greater friction as it triggered a ‘diamond rush’ attracting both white-settlers and native Bantu-speaking people in the area
1867
Gold is discovered near Wiswatersrand which produces instability as it brings a mass of non-Boers and traders into the area
1886
Rhodes company established a fort at Salisbury in Mashonaland, home to the Shona people,
bringing yet another area under British control
1890
Britain annexes Bechuanaland and why?
The arrival of Germans in South-West Africa in 1884 raised British fears that the Boers might for an alliance
with Germany. Consequently, in 1885, the British annexed a section of territory between German South West Africa and the Transvaal- known as Bechuanaland- in a strategic attempt to prevent the combining of the German and Boer colonies.
British propose a federation of the British and Boer territories
The British went on to propose a federation of the British and Boer territories in 1875, but the Boers gave a
firm rejection. The area suffered from extreme instability as the British and the Boers tried to exert greater control in the area which had become valuable for traders
First Boer war-when and describe
From 1880, the Boers turned against the British, thinking they had a greater chance of gaining independence
under Gladstone. The British had believed that they would have a quick victory over the Boer farmers, however, the Boers knew the landscape far better than the British, the technology was about the same, the
British were vastly outnumbered (1800 to 7000) and most of the Boers were excellent marksmen. They attacked British army garrisons across the Transvaal and winning a series of victories that culminated in a humiliating British failure at Majuba Hill in February 1881. Gladstone decided not to fight on and granted the Boers their independence – not a popular decision within
Britain. The British were forced to sign the Convention of Pretoria which recognised Boer self-government in
the Transvaal although the British still claimed a right to control external affairs
Convention of Pretoria
Signed in 1881 as a result of British failure in first Boer war at Majuba Hill. This recognised Boer self-government in the Transvaal although the British still claimed a right to control external affairs
Invasion of Zululand
The British launched an invasion of Zululand in January 1879. The British decisively defeated the Zulus,
despite them being a strong and successful fighting force, at Ulundi in 1879 and Zululand was absorbed into Natal
What was the Jameson Raid? What was its consequences?
A raid was launched on the Transvaal from neighbouring British Rhodesia by Dr. Jameson on Rhodes’
orders. The plan was meant to be secret but too many people knew of it and Rhodes kept changing the
plan.
-Jameson’s raid (which consisted of 500 mounted police who were drunken, ill-trained and badly
equipped) was easily defeated as the plan to start an uprising of uitlanders failed and he was forced to surrender after just 4 days
-The whole affair was a fiasco and even though no official support had been given it discredited the British
government and stiffened the Boer’s determination to resist the British
- Jameson and 12 companions were imprisoned and Rhodes was forced to resign from the Cape Premiership
-Kruger became a people’s hero and the Boers still living in the Cape Colony formed an anti-British
‘Afrikaner Bond’ to show their solidarity with their fellow Boers in the Transvaal. Germany sent Kruger a
telegram congratulating Kruger on maintaining the Transvaal’s independence without calling on friendly
powers. This increased hostilities between the British and the Germans
What was the Second Boer War (1899-1902)? And what were its consequences?
Joseph Chamberlain wanted to avoid war if possible but he was not prepared to accept any weakening of British influence so supported war.
-Kruger had begun to import arms on a large scale from Germany and negotiations with the Boers broke down in 1899 and the Boers invaded British territory and besieged Ladysmith in Natal -keen to strike a
blow before the British Army could be reinforced
-Initially, the Boers had some successes in the Second Boer War but the British poured in nearly 400000 imperial troops at the cost of £250 million and
Generals Kitchener used the blockhouse system, scorched earth policy and concentration camps to gain control of the land from the Boers who had switched to Guerrilla war. The concentration camps had appalling hygiene and many people died
of disease. It became a national scandal after Emily Hobhouse made the conditions public and efforts were
taken to improve conditions and the death rates fell dramatically. However, the damage was done and propaganda was published by the Dutch and Germans describing the British soldiers as ‘killers of babies’ because 2/3 of the people who died were children under 10. 1/6 of the Boers died in these camps in
supposed places of refuge.
-The Peace of Vereeniging of May 1902 ended the war – by that the Boer’s acknowledged themselves as
British subjects and the Boer republics became British colonies with the promise of responsible self government. This was finally granted in 1905 and in 1908 the PMs of the Transvaal, Orange Free State,
Cape Colony and Natal drew up a constitution for the ‘Union of South Africa’ This established a single parliament and the union of South Africa became a single British Dominion territory in 1910
What was the Peace of Vereeniging 1902?
The Peace of Vereeniging of May 1902 ended the war – by that the Boer’s acknowledged themselves as
British subjects and the Boer republics became British colonies with the promise of responsible self government. This was finally granted in 1905 and in 1908 the PMs of the Transvaal, Orange Free State,
Cape Colony and Natal drew up a constitution for the ‘Union of South Africa’ This established a single parliament and the union of South Africa became a single British Dominion territory in 1910
Measures to improve national efficiency
-1902 Education Act raised standards and the extent of education, leading to an extra 1000 secondary schools
opening over the following decade
-Conservative initiated a new phase of battleship development to compete with the Germans. HMS
Dreadnaught was launched in 1906, and many more improved vessels were to follow
-Imperial college was opened in London, concentrating on scientific and technological courses
-Social reforms followed including free school meals (1906), school medical inspections (1907), old age pensions (1908) and National Insurance in (1911)
How much trade did Tropical Africa amount to?
1.2%
what happened at the 1899 Bloemfontein conference?
Milner demanded that the Transvaal grant voting rights to the Uitlanders. In October 1899, Kruger issued an ultimatum demanding a British withdrawal from the borders of the Boer republics. War broke out when the British rejected this.
