pre-Boer situation (bw) Flashcards
when was Cape Colony seized by Britain?
1815
when was the Great Trek?
1830
why were the Boers unhappy with the British in 1830?
Britain had abolished slavery
when did Britain annex Natal?
1843
who were the Boer’s rivals before the British?
the black Zulus
when did Britain defeat the Zulu kingdom?
1879
what caused the First Boer War?
Britain’s refusal to return Transvaal to the Boers
what was the outcome of the First Boer War?
Britain was defeated
Transvaal and Orange Free State were declared self governing nations under the suzerainty of the British Empire
what did suzerainty mean?
Britain was the ultimate power
when was gold discovered in Transvaal?
1886
who were the uitlanders?
foreign workers who moved to the Transvaal to benefit off of the gold rush
most were British
what had the uitlanders caused in Transvaal?
- took over control of the new wealth
- they outnumbered the Boer population
what gave Britain a reason to interfere with Kruger’s Transvaal?
uitlanders were forced to reside 14 years before they could apply for naturalisation
who was the President of Transvaal?
Paul Kruger
who was PM in 1895?
Lord Salisbury
who was the Colonial Secretary under Salisbury?
Joseph Chamberlain
how were Chamberlain and Salisbury different?
Chamberlain = more aggressive foreign policy
Salisbury = more quieter foreign policy
when did Cecil Rhodes become PM of Cape Colony?
1890
when was the Jameson Raid?
December 1895
what was the Jameson Raid?
Rhodes ordered 600 men led by Dr Jameson to seize Johannesburg
this would trigger an uitlander uprising
BUT
after fighting with the Boers, Jameson surrendered
what was the result of the Jameson Raid?
- Cecil Rhodes forced to resign as PM
- Transvaal and the Orange Free State signed a treaty in 1897
- Kruger purchased the best European weapons for Transvaal
who led the Orange Free State?
Steyn
who was Alfred Milner?
High Commissioner of Southern Africa
sent to SA to resolve Boer issue
was an imperialist
when was the Bloemfontein conference?
31 May 1899
what demand did Milner make at the conference?
that the uitlanders should recieve the right to vote
when did Kruger give his ultimatum?
9 October 1899
what was Kruger’s ultimatum?
all British troops should remove themselves from the Transvaal border
otherwise, there would be war
when did the Boers declare war on Britain?
11 October 1899
why was there a lack of military reform in the build up to 1899?
- lack of govt funding
- little pressure to change as army had been doing well
- Duke of Cambridge sticked to tradionalism
when and who replaced the Duke of Cambridge as 1ic?
Lord Wolsely
in 1895
why was the BA in a better place in 1899?
- many officers had got proper experience from fighting in various colonial wars
- Wolesely had stressed the importance of supplies and logistics through reform
- more men
what were the problems in the BA in 1899?
- shortage of ammo
- red and blue uniforms to use in desert warfare?!?!
- intelligence and staff work were inadequate
- tactics were still traditional (no use of trench warfare and cavalry raids)
why were the Boers weak against the British?
- only 60,000 men
- tribal mobilisation system
- Boers bought their own guns + horse
- lack of organisation
why were the Boers underestimated?
- they were excellent horsemen and marksmen
- were armed with Europe’s best guns —> Mauser Rifle + Creusot guns
- more knowledge of terrain
- defending so more morale
what experience did the Boers have before 1899?
the victory in the First Boer War
fighting the Zulus
what were the Boer’s most effective fighting units?
the commandos
they were bands of horsemen who raided British convoys and outposts
who were the main generals sent to fight against the Boers?
Buller
Roberts of Kandahar
Kitchener of Khartoum
experienced men so expectations were high
Roberts of Kandahar
was famous for his work in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Kitchener of Khartoum
was famous for his victory in Sudan 1898
what was the role of the RN in the Boer War?
they transported troops, supplies and horses to Cape Colony
important in providing endless reinforcements compared to the limited Boer numbers
what method of transport did the Boers primarily use?
Ox wagons
what method of transport did the British primarily use?
the railways
what was set up to monitor the railway system in SA?
Department of Military Railways
had a specialist unit of railway engineers who could repair and extend the rail network
how would Kitchener later reinforce the railway lines used by the British?
using armoured trains
fortifying stations
what major advances in technology would be used by the British in the Boer Wars?
breech loading artillery
Maxim machine guns
what changes were made to British uniform used in Africa?
Khaki began to be used after showing it’s worth in India and Sudan
