Context Flashcards
Who were the Boers
Dutch farmers living in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State after the Great Trek. Had established a community there for over 60 years
What was the Great Trek
1836 Dutch settlers moving from the Cape Colony to Transvaal (North) and the Orange Free State (South). The Trek took about 60 years and 5000 Boers moved and built their civilisation from the bottom.
When was Gold discovered in the Transvaal
1886, billions of pounds’ worth in Witwatersrand
Why did the discovery of gold disrupt and displease the Boers
The British wanted the gold and moved there, claiming to help the Boers mine it. The Gold Rush in Johannasburg and Pretoria led to a conflict of cultures.
Cecil Rhodes
Imperialist, mined diamonds and got rich (Blood Diamond)
Rhodesia named after him
Wanted to build the railway- Cairo to Cape Town to benefit trade
Feared the growing power of the Transvaal, wanted war
Lord Salisbury
PM, isolationist (Splendid Isolationism (Disraeli))
Reluctant to start a war
Joseph Chamberlain
Colonial Secretary
Wanted to push into Africa for the gold
Wanted to provoke the Boers to initiate the war without declaring it to preservde the image of the empire
Income of the Boers
Went from 196,000 to 4,000,000 in 1896
Used this money to buy the Mauser rifles and Creusot guns (Long Toms)
Why should there have been few supply and intelligence issues
War Office became separate and in control of supply (Commissariat was no longer an obstacle)
2nd Boer war- already experienced in the terrain
Had fought against their marksmanship, e.g. Majuba Hill (embarrassing defeat)
Kruger
President of the Transvaal
Had grown up throught the Great Trek
Collaborates with President Steyn of the Orange Free State, forming a military pact in 1897
Granted foreigners the right to vote if they had been living there for 14 years (before gold was found in Witwatersrand)
Jameson Raid
December 29, 1895 to 2 Jan 1896
Failed uprising in the Transvaal, funded by Rhodes
Jameson goes in with soldiers to form a revolution to overthrow Kruger, but there weren’t enough supporters
Made Kruger into a hero to the Boers for protecting them
Peace Treaty after the First Boer War
signed in 1881
Bloemfontein Conference
June 1899
Tried to get the Boers to join the South African Union, but Kruger was not interested
Milner demanded a 5 year residency voting qualification, to which Kruger offered 7 years on the condition that the British give up all claims to interfere in Transvaal affairs
Events leading to the war
-Chamberlain inviting Kruger to London, who chose not to as to not leave the Transvaal vulnerable
-Boer police officer shoots Tom Edgar, a member of the mining organisation
-Troops landed on the 3rd of October at Durban, annexing the Boer territories
-9th Oct- Kruger demands the British to withdraw all troops
-Chamberlain and Milner refuse
-War declared on the 11th Oct 1899
British forces
448,000 in total
-230.000 volunteers
-249,000 split between colonies
-80,000 reserves
Used outdated tactics
