The Second Boer War 1899-1902 Flashcards
In what year did Britain acquire the cape colony from the Netherlands
1815
In the 1830s, how many boers disliked aspects of British rule
5000 boers
What aspects of British rule did the boers dislike
The abolition of slavery
Where did the boers originally migrate towards
Natal
In what year did Britain annex natal
1843
Where did the boers migrate after the annexation Of natal
The orange free state and Transvaal
What state did the orange free state and Transvaal antagonise with their diaries for land
The Zulu’s
In what year did Britain decide it wanted to unite its South African colonies with the boer republics
1877
In what year did Britain take control of Transvaal and the zulu
1879
Who’s government decided to recognise Transvaal and the orange free state as autonomous nations following Britain defeat in the first boers war
Gladstone’s government
In what year did the Transvaal discover their gold deposits
1886
What was the economic causes for Britain to go to war with the boer republics
The gold deposits made Transvaal the richest colony in South Africa which threatened the economic balance of power.
With a strong economy, the boers may attempt try to take over the whole of Southern Africa
Who we’re the uitlanders
The Transvaal lacked the manpower and the industrial base to develop its goldmines
Many fled from the British colonies hoping to make their fortune in mining
Who long did the uitlanders have to reside in Transvaal before they could apply for naturalisation
14 years
What did the denial of voting of uitlanders provide the British government with
A pretext for interference in Transvaal
Who became the prime minster in 1885
Lord Salisbury
What were the priorities of lord Salisbury
Protecting the essential interest of Britain
Sercurity in the empire
Who did lord Salisbury appoint as colonial secretary
Joseph chamberlain
What did Joseph chamberlain advocate for
A more cohesive British empire, bound together by economic interest with a viable imperial parliament
What year did Cecil roads arrive in cape colony
1870
In what year did Cecil roads establish a powerful gold-mining company in Transvaal
1887
In what year did Cecil Rhodes become the prime minister of cape colony
1890
What famous quote did Cecil Rhodes say regarding Britain
Britain were “the first race in the world and that more the of the world that they inhabit, the better for the human race”
In 1895, what did Rhodes encourage
Uitlander’s to agitate for voting rights in Transvaal
What was the aim of the Jameson raid 1895
Rhodes would seize Johannesburg, trigger an uprising of the Uitlander s and overthrow Kruger
Did the Jameson raid succeed
No, after a brief skirmish, Rhodes surrenderd
What was the outcome of the Jameson raid 1895
Rhodes had to resign as prime-minister
Transvaal and the orange free state signed the military pact of 1897 being a bigger threat to the British empire
Kruger started to arm the Transvaal with the best European weaponry
In what year did Britain sent Alfred Milner as a high commissioner of South Africa
1897
What was the ultimatum that Alfred Milner have to the boers
Uitlander’s must be granted for citizenship
When did limber and Kruger met at the Bloemfontein conference
31 may 1899
What did Kruger do in response to milliners demands
Rejected giving the uitlanders full citizenship and stuck to his gun
What ultimatum did Kruger send to the British government on the 9th October 1899
That all British troops be withdrawn from the Transvaal boarder within 48 hours
What date did Kruger declare war in the British empire
11th October 1899
How many troops did Britain have in 1899
135,000 men
(the small amount was the result of the professionalisation of the army being its main aim since the 1870’s and not to bolster numbers)
What were the problems facing the British army in 1899
There was a shortage of ammunition
It had an inadequate supply of khaki uniforms (only suitable colour for conflict in South Africa)
Intelligence and staff were inadequate
How many troops did the boer army have in 1899
60,000 men
How was the boer army structured
It was a civilian militia
All male adults in a district were expected to form a commando bringing their own horses and weapons to battle.
Those who couldn’t afford a weapon were given a rifle by the state
What was the excellent rifle that the Boer were armed with
The smokeless missed rifle from Germany
How many troops did sir George white have
10,000
Where were the 10,000 strong Indian army shipped to
Natal (previously annexed by the British)
When did sir George white arrive in natal
7th October 1899
What was sir George whites main goal
To prevent the boers from marching in Durban
How many boers invaded Durban
35,000
When did the British first army corps set sail from Southampton to cape colony
12th October
When did the boers begging the artillery at the battle for ladysmith
20th October 1899
How many British casualties were the result of the Ladysmith counterattack
446
After pushing the boers back to Talana Hill at the battle of ladysmith, where did George white and his army retreat to
Back to the town of ladysmith
White was surrounded by boer siege guns in ladysmith, what did he do?
Ordered a major sortie against enemy positions (the battle of Modderspruit)
How many British were captured and killed at the battle of Modderspruit
140 killed
1000 captured
When the boers crosses over into cape colony, How many British soldiers were defending
7000
How many cape Dutch joined the invading commandos in cape colony
10,000
What was the outcome of the Dutch joining the commandos
Milner services permission to declare martial law in the most disaffected districts
What two victories did methane achieve in the counter-offensive
Belmont and Graspan
How many British casualties followed the counter-offensive in “black week”
3000 casualties
Following black week, how many British troops were sent to cape colony
180,000 troops
How many volunteers from British Africa, Austrians, Canadians, New Zealand came forward following black week
30000
When did lord Roberts arrive in cape colony
January 1900
What did lord Robert insist on in his new tactical guidelines
Careful reconnaissance
The avoidance of frontal attacks in mass formations
More use of cover to cover fighting by infantry
When was the Transvaal formally annexed by Britain
3 September 1900
How many boers resistance fighter remained under British control
20,000
Why were boer commandos sent to their home districts in the new resistance
They could rely on local support and had knowledge of the terrain
What was the tactic of the boers resistance
To strike fast and hard, causing as much damage as possible the disappear before British reinforcements could show up
What was the impact of the boers guerrilla tactics
A disorganised pattern of engagements and meant their was large social unrest as the 250,000 British soldiers were unable to determine were they would strike next
What did Kitchener order be built around cape colony to protect supply routes from boer raids
8000 fortified blockhouses linked with barbed wire fences stretching 4000 miles
What was the scorched earth policy
Kitchener order that all property that could aid the boers be destroyed
British troops swept the countryside, destroying properties and burning farmland causing a nation wide famine
What did Britain do in response to the famine to house women and children
They built concentration camps
How many boer women and children died in the British concentration camps
20,000 (1/4 innmates) from food and medical shortages
Which political party denounced the concentration camps
The liberal party (formally the Whig party)
Who defended the existence of the camps
The war sectary, John Broderick
Following public outcry in Britain, what did the government commission
The Kitchener report
What did the Kitchener report confirm
That the death rates in the camps were very high (the opposite of what the government intended)
How many black people served the British in the boer war by 1902
30,000
What treaty ended the second boer war on 31 may 1902
Treaty of Vereeniging
What was the outcome of the treaty of Vereeniging
The annexation of the orange free state and Transvaal
How many lives did the boer war cost
60,000 lives
Overall, how many does in the concentration camps
20,000 boer civilians and 12,000 black Africans
How much did the boer war cost
£217 million
Did the British public support the boer war
In 1899, most did support the Boer war but the fact that it dragged on for 3 years and concerns about the concentration camps led to increasing concern
Following the parliamentary reform acts 1867 and 1884, what percentage of men were allowed to vote
60% of adult males had the vote
In the 1890s, how many British MPs were from aristocratic and landed backgrounds
More than half
What political ideals were the liberal party aligned to
Nonconformity
Which religion were the Conservative party alleged with
The Church of England
In 1886, what did Gladstone commit parliament to do in regards to Irish autonomy
Committed the liberal party to setting up an Irish parliament
Why was Gladstone unable to pass his home rule bill giving Ireland sovereignty
A third of the liberal party opposed it (liberal-unionists) and the Conservative party also opposed it meaning he was unable to find a majority
What was the outcome of the 1895 election
The Conservative-unionists won a landslide victory led by lord salisbury
How many seats did the conservatives win in the 1895 election
341 seats
How many seats did the liberal-unionists win in 1895
70 seats
What was the “mission” justification for the British colonial rule
The strong belief that British rule improved the quality of life of “lower races”
How many dailiy newspapers were published in the 1890’s
There were 150 papers catering for the tastes of an expanding reading public
When was the daily mail launched
1896
How launched the daily mail
Alfred hammsworth
How much did the daily mail cost
Half a penny
What was the average cost of established papers
A penny
What was the circulation of the daily mail in 1900
Nearly a million
What was the outcome of the increasing popularity of the daily mail
Other papers had to drop their prices to stay competitive
Newspapers appeared in imitation of the daily mail
What was the daily mails stance on the boer war
It was extremely imperialist, marketing it the “voice of the empire”
Who filed reports for the morning post , using his experiences in the boers war to launch their political career
Winston Churchill
What camera was used in 1896 by war photographers to capture the horrors of the boer war
Pocket and bullet Kodak’s
What camera was released in 1900
The cheaper brownie camera
What was invented in 1895, which allowed the public to see moving pictures of Southern Africa
The bioscope
How many cheered the First Army Corps as they left Southampton on 12th October 1899
Half a million
What political groups opposed the war
Liberals, socialists and Irish nationalists
What newspapers opposed the war
The Manchester guardian, the morning star, the daily news
Why did radical liberals attack the boer war
They conceived it to be moral wrong
In 1900, which religious institution banned all discussion of the boer war
The organising committee of the national council of free churches
What was the only religious group that opposers the war
Quackers
When was the “khaki” election
September 1900
What did chamberlain claim in the 1900 election
“Every vote against the government is a vote given to the boers”
Why did the liberal perform so badly in the “khaki” election
They were a very disorganised party at this period and struggled to field candidates because it was in financial dfficulties
In 1901, what economic measures did the council of the exchequer (Michael hicks) introduce to fund the boer war
Put a tax on refined sugar
Imposed a shelling levy on coal exports
Raised income tax
2/3 of the war was funded by government borrowing
What was the result of the 1906 election
The liberal won an overwhelming majority of 400 seats
Why did the liberals perform so well in the 1906 election
The conservatives were dived on tariff reforms
The public were outraged when the found out about the concentration camps and the attrocities commuted by the British in South Africa
