Boer Wars: Background, Causes and Consequences

The War of the Boers It was an armed conflict unleashed twice in South Africa. It was propitiated by the resistance of independent South African colonies against the conquerors of that region: the British. They called"boer"the Dutch settlers settled in Africa as part of the expeditions sent from the Netherlands.

Also called Afrikaners, these Dutch settlers comprised a large part of the white population of Africa and were responsible for the armed movement that was carried out against the British. Both wars sought to combat British rule in the south of the African continent.

However, each war had different results. The first war was clearly won by the pro-independence South Africans, while the second was won by the British forces. It should be noted that the second war extended beyond the Boer defeat.

The South African troops resorted to the formation of militias and guerrillas that remained in resistance until the possible South African independence of the British control. Both conflicts resulted in the eventual creation of what is now the Republic of South Africa.

Background

Both wars are related to each other, and their historical antecedents date back to the time when the British formally formalized the southern African annex. The British expansion in the south of the African continent had three main catalysts.

The first was the desire of the United Kingdom to gain control of the trade routes that were heading towards the Indies. This was allowed by the control of the Cape (what today is, in large part, South Africa) in this region.

The second was the discovery of a mine rich in diamonds that was located in the territory that connected the British Cape colony, the Orange Free State (an independent Boer colony) and the Republic of South Africa.

This republic was not the current country of South Africa, but a Boer republic established in the area. The British knew it like the Transvaal, because the territory that occupied this nation is crossed by the Vaal river.

The third reason was framed in the context of European rivalries to conquer territory. The British wanted to expand their dominance of the African continent to own more territory than the other powers that already had areas dominated in Africa, such as France and Holland.

British presence in Africa

From the time of the Napoleonic Wars, the British possessed the area known as Cape of New Hope in South Africa. This area used to belong to the Dutch settlers (bóeres). When the British took over this South African area, the Boers began to generate resentment against the United Kingdom.

Although the British presence brought economic benefits to the Boers, a large number of them decided to settle further east of the region. This movement ended in the subsequent formation of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic.

The British did not want to stop the Boers on their way out of the Cape, because they served as pioneers of the African region little explored by the United Kingdom. The farther away the boers and more territory discovered, the more British control could expand throughout the southern part of Africa.

Causes of the First Boer War

The United Kingdom, through two different conventions, officially recognized the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State as independent countries. The first was recognized in 1852 at the Sand River Convention, and the second in 1854 at the Bloemfontein Convention.

However, the Transvaal Republic was occupying territory of the Zulu community, an important tribe of the region that had good relations with the United Kingdom. The Boers of Transvaal were in a complicated situation, because they could not face the Zulu because they did not have enough military capacity.

This led to the United Kingdom officially annexing the Transvaal Republic, without the latter being able to oppose it, as the Zulu would surely attack them.

However, when the Zulu attacked the British colony, they were defeated by the troops of the United Kingdom and their presence in the area decreased significantly. Without the latent threat of the Zulus, the Boers were able to confront the British, which led to the First Boer War in December 1880.

Aftermath of the First Boer War

The British troops suffered a number of important casualties in the first uprising of the Boers. It is said that, in part, it was due to lack of organization and military intelligence, but the British death toll can also be attributed to a lack of competent command on the part of the general in charge of the soldiers.

In the last battle of the war the British commando was so poor that the Boers managed to win a brilliant victory that ended the life of the then general and head of the British resistance, George Pomeroy Colley.

The First War ended 4 months after its beginning, in March 1881. It is considered the second battle in the history of the United Kingdom in which they were forced to surrender. Previously, this had only happened in the War of Independence of the United States.

After the end of this war, the British abandoned their traditional red clothing and changed into khaki uniforms. In addition, this war marked the beginning of the current combat tactics, since the employment of mobility, marksmanship and coverage used by the Boers had no precedent in military history. It turned out to be incredibly effective.

Causes of the Second Boer War

After the surrender of the United Kingdom after its defeat in the First Boer War, a false state of peace had been reached. The Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State were cautious of the British presence in the Cape.

In 1895 the British tried to provoke an uprising in Transvaal by means of a military play in which the British infantry invaded a part of the Boer country. The rebellion sought by the United Kingdom was not achieved, but rather the move provoked an increase in Boer discontent with the British, which led to the start of the Second Boer War.

This military move, known as the Jameson Raid, triggered an alliance between the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State that sought to end the presence of the British Empire in the southern African continent.

Negotiations and beginning of the war

After failed attempts at negotiations between the British hierarchy and the president of the Orange Free State, war was inevitable. The Prime Minister of the British colony of the Cape sent a statement to the president of the Orange State, and he responded with another demanding that the British troops be removed from the border of his country.

The British press asked that the Orange Free State be declared a war as a result of these events, but the British military command was in disagreement with the opinion. It was believed that the army of the United Kingdom should have a series of reforms that had been postponed for several years.

However, the war was imminent and in 1899 the British mobilized their troops to start the conflict.

Aftermath of the Second Boer War

On May 15, 1902 the war came to an end after a high number of lives lost, both British and Boer.

The British had completely dominated the South African area and, although some Boers wanted to keep fighting, the Transvaal nations and the Free State Orange did not have enough resources to keep the conflict going.

The British had tried to end the conflict several times prior to its current culmination in 1902. The Boers were offered peace terms that they refused to accept on several occasions, honoring their fallen comrades and continuing their hatred for the British domino.

The Boers wanted independence, but the overwhelming defeat suffered in the war and the lack of resources did not make it possible.

Peace treaty

On May 31 of that same year, a peace treaty was signed that officially ended the war. The treaty was signed in Vereeniging and the British were quite accessible to the Boers, as they sought to gain their support again.

After this war ended the existence of the Republic of Transvaal and the Free State Orange, which would be unified under the same name: the Union of South Africa.

The colonies were allowed to establish a semi-independent and self-sustaining government. In addition, the United Kingdom sent three million pounds sterling to the colonies to stand up after the war.

The Union of South Africa was officially established in 1910 as a British colony, a state that remained until 1926, when it was declared an independent country.

References

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2. The Aftermath of the War, South African History Online, May 12, 2017. Taken from sahistory.org
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4. Boer - People, The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, (n.d.). Taken from Britannica.com
5. South African War, The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, (n.d.). Taken from Britannica.com
6. Second Boer War, Wikipedia in English, March 20, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
7. Union of South Africa, Wikipedia in English, March 21, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
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9. Orange Free State, Wikipedia in English, March 15, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
10. South African Republic, Wikipedia en Español, March 2, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
11. Cape Colony, Wikipedia in English, March 21, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org