Causes and Consequences of the 2nd Anglo Boer War

Question 1

What were the Political Factors which led to the 2nd Anglo Boer War

Answer 1

• Uitlanders were denied the vote, despite the fact they paid taxes.
• Over 50,000 Britons
  were excluded from political rights despite the fact Boers who lived in Cape Colony were granted their political rights.
• At the Bloemfontein Conference of May-June 1899, Milner demanded the Transvaal granted voting rights to the Uitlanders – Kruger refused.
• October 1899, Kruger issues an ultimatum, demanding a British withdrawal from the border of the
  Boer republic - war broke out when the British stood firm.

Question 2

What were the economic factors which led to the 2nd Anglo Boer War

Answer 2

• The Transvaal’s prestige and power had grown with the discovery of gold on the Rand in 1886.
• It had extended its control over Swaziland by establishing its independent rail networks.
• Both Rhodes and Chamberlain were worried that British dominance in South Africa was under threat
  and launched the Jamerson Raid in 1895.
• High tariffs imposed by the Boers also irritated Rhodes and limited trade.

Question 3

What were the social factors which led to the 2nd Anglo Boer War

Answer 3

• Kruger’s success in securing a 4th term as the Transvaal president in 1898 reflected the Boer’s strong nationalist sentiment and resentment of British interference.
• An English man, Tom Edgar was shot by a Transvaal policeman in December 1898 which prompted Uitlander outrage and pressure on the British government from the Uitlanders for firm action.

Question 4

Explain how the influence of individuals led to the 2nd Anglo Boer War

Answer 4

• Cecil Rhodes, the Prime Minister of Cape Colony 1890-96, had an overriding aim in South Africa to bring the Boer republics into a South African Federation.
• Rhodes and Kruger were very hostile towards each other.
• Chamberlain also supported the federation ideas.

Question 5

Explain how the influence of individuals led to the 2nd Anglo Boer War

Answer 5

• Cecil Rhodes, the Prime Minister of Cape Colony 1890-96, had an overriding aim in South Africa to bring the Boer republics into a South African Federation.
• Rhodes and Kruger were very hostile towards each other.
• Chamberlain also supported the federation ideas.

Question 6

What were the consequences of the Boer War

Answer 6

• By the end of the war, about 11500 people were living in these camps and many more had died in them.
• The camps were not intended to cause deaths
  -> it was more a result of contemporary medical/sanitation ignorance.
• highlighted the shortcomings of the British army. last years, involved 400 000 troops
  and cost £230m.
  -> It also saw 22 000 British deaths, to just 6000 Boer troops.
  -> it was expected to not last long.
• The war’s short-comings dictated the drive for national efficiency and dampened the jingoism that had.
  characterised the 1890s.
  ->Thereafter only conservatives still spoke out politically for imperialism.