| Conflicts
between the Boers and the British over the huge gold reserves discovered
in The Transvaal increased.
The
war began when the Boers gave an ultimatum to the British to cease
reinforcement of the British garrison in South Africa. This happened
because The South African Republic had refused to grant political
rights to the Uitlander (foreigners, mostly English) in the mining
areas, and the English were aggressively persistent about it. On
Oct. 11, 1899, the fighting began.
The
British eventually had over 400,000 men in South Africa. The Boers,
at their peak had 52,000, using boys as young as 9. In addition,
the Boers were mostly untrained farmers, fighting what was perhaps
the greatest power in the world. So the match was uneven from the
start. However the Boers were fighting on their home ground and
used unconventional guerilla tactics to good advantage. They achieved
some early victories over the British.
The
Boer commandos lived off the land and off the help that they got
from sympathetic homesteads. The British responded by removing this
advantage. They burned farms and created the first "concentration
camps" as a place to put the women and children they cleared
off the farms. The camps were inadequate and dirty and disease spread
through them quickly. Around 25,000 women and children died from
epidemics of dysentery, measles, and enteric fever. International
opinion began to turn against the British and there were outspoken
critics at home as well.
| |
Lloyd
George future Prime Minister commented in practical terms
in 1901:
"When
children are treated in this way and dying, we are simply
ranging the deepest passions of the human heart against British
rule in Africa..." |
|
Due
to lack of supplies and concern over their families, the Boer Republics
finally surrendered their independence in 1902. In return they got
assurances that the question of African rights would be put on hold.
The war was over and all of the colonies of South Africa were under
the control of the British. In May of 1910, a new country was created,
the Union of South Africa, ruled by the British inhabitants.
The
Concentration Camp - sculpture from the National Women's Memorial
-1913
Dedicated
"To Our Heroines and Beloved"
©. HistoryWiz
2000-2008
Part
of Bitter
Union: The Story of South Africa exhibit |
