Background And Outbreak Of War

Question 1

British acquisition of the Cape Colony

Answer 1

• Britain acquired the Cape Colony in September 1795, after the French occupied parts of the Dutch Republic which was the mother country of the Dutch United East India Company. This was a better way to control the seas in order to stop potential French attempts to reach India.
  • Interest in the Cape Colony was so that it secured trade routes to India

Question 2

The Great Trek

Answer 2

• This was a northward migration of Dutch speaking settlers from the Cape, from 1836.
  • Led to the founding of Boer Republics, like Transvaal, the Orange Free State and Natalia Republic.
  • They were generally discontent with the acquisition of the area by the British, and were also unhappy with the Empire abolishing slavery

Question 3

British annexation of the Transvaal

Answer 3

• 1877
• Abundance of resources - found diamonds in Kimberley in 1868
• Allowed the British to link trade routes
• The Transvaal was bankrupt in war with the Pedi

Question 4

Who was Sir Bartle Frere?

Answer 4

Sir Bartle Frere was made High Commissioner for Southern Africa in 1877. He wanted to create a South African Confederation under the British Empire, but this was met by local protest, resulting in the Anglo-Zulu and First Boer Wars.

Question 5

Action of Sir Bartle Frere

Answer 5

• War with the Zulus – really provoked by local action of Sir Bartle Frere
• Frere had tightened up control British control over the Cape Colony, overthrowing its elected government 1878

Question 6

Outcome of the First Boer War

Answer 6

• The First Boer War was decided at the Battle of Majuba Hill and was a victory for the Boers.
  • The Pretoria Peace Deal (1881) favoured the Boers
  • The London Convention (1884) reinstated the Boers control of the Transvaal
  • Britain only had a vague suzerainty over the Transvaal.

Question 7

Discovery of gold

Answer 7

• Discovered in the Witwatersrand Ridge in 1886.
  • This was the world’s largest deposit of gold-bearing ore
• Made the Transvaal rich – a threat to British control of South Africa, especially as many Boers still lived in the Cape Colony and Natal
  • However, the Transvaal lacked manpower and an industrial base to develop their goldmines
• This attracted an influx of foreign settlers, called ‘Uitlanders’ (outlanders)
  • By the 1890s, they had outnumbered the native Afrikaans speakers and most of the Transvaal’s wealth was in their hands

Question 8

How did the Boers deal with the Uitlander issue?

Answer 8

• Paul Kruger – President of the Transvaal – imposed tough restrictions on claiming nationality
  • 14 year residence before Uitlanders could claim naturalisation
    • This would allow them to maintain Boer supremacy, which was now threatened by the outlanders

Question 9

Lord Salisbury

Answer 9

• Lord Salisbury was made Prime Minister in 1895
  • He wanted to preserve peace to protect Britain’s imperial interests
  • But, he had appointed Joseph Chamberlain as Colonial Secretary
    • In contrast to Salisbury, he believed in aggressive defence of British imperial interests and wanted a more cohesive British Empire

Question 10

Cecil Rhodes

Answer 10

• Arrived at the Cape Colony in 1870 and had made a fortune from diamond mining
• By 1887 he had established a powerful gold mining company in the Transvaal
• In 1890, he was made PM of the Cape Colony
• He believed that the British were:

> “The first race in the world and the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the human race.

• Clearly had a very strong imperialistic sentiment and believed in achieving a far ranging empire.
• Saw the two Boer republics as standing in the way of imperial ambitions

Question 11

Jameson Raid

Answer 11

• The raid was an attempt to overthrow the Boer government, and create an uprising in the Uitlander population
  • Completely botched
    • 600 men led into the Transvaal, but was quickly put down and Jameson surrendered
• Cecil Rhodes had to resign as PM of the Cape Colony
• It also drew the Boer republics closer together, becoming allies, signing a military pact in 1897. They began to mobilise against the British in case of war starting

Question 12

Alfred Milner

Answer 12

• Appointed as High Commissioner of Southern Africa
• He was a passionate imperialist and believed in Britain’s position as a Great Power being at stake in the struggle for supremacy in Southern Africa.
• He wanted Uitlanders to be given full citizenship
• The killing of Tom Edgar by a Boer policeman and the policeman’s acquittal by an all Boer jury brought this matter to a head

Question 13

Alfred Milner

Answer 13

• Appointed as High Commissioner of Southern Africa
• He was a passionate imperialist and believed in Britain’s position as a Great Power being at stake in the struggle for supremacy in Southern Africa.
• He wanted Uitlanders to be given full citizenship
• The killing of Tom Edgar by a Boer policeman and the policeman’s acquittal by an all Boer jury brought this matter to a head

Question 14

Bloemfontein Conference

Answer 14

• At the Bloemfontein Conference, 31st May 1899, Milner demanded that the Transvaal under Kruger give Uitlanders the vote
  • Kruger rejected this demand and Milner walked out of the conference
• While Salisbury was not on Milner’s side out of fears of a Boer attack, the public supported Milner

Question 15

Kruger Ultimatum

Answer 15

• On the 9th October, President Kruger gave an ultimatum
  • He gave Britain 48 hours to withdraw all of their troops from the border with the Transvaal, otherwise the Tranvaal/Orange Free State would declare war

Question 16

When was war declared?

Answer 16

11th October 1899