Causes and the Result of Anglo Boer War

Introduction

In this assignment, we are going to discuss the causes of the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902). The Second Boer War (11 October 1899-31 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo-Boer War, or the South African War, was fought between the British Empire and two independent Boer states, the South African Republic (Republic of Transvaal) and the Orange Free State, over the empire’s influence in South Africa. The trigger of the war was the discovery of diamonds and gold in the Boer states. Initial Boer attacks were successful, and although British reinforcements later reversed these, the war continued for years with Boer guerrilla warfare, until harsh British countermeasures including a scorched earth policy brought the Boers to terms.

The causes of the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902)

A number of interrelated factors led to the Second Anglo-Boer War. These include the conflicting political ideologies of imperialism and republicanism, the discovery of the gold on the Witwatersrand, and tension between political leaders, the Jameson Raid, and the Uitlander franchise.

Conflicting political ideology.

During the First Anglo-Boer War, the British government did not give up its ambition for unifying South Africa under imperial British rule. The two Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the South Africa Republic or Transvaal still maintained their desire for independence. The Boer republics were a stumbling block for the British Empire.

The discovery of the gold on the Witwatersrand

“Gold had been mined since the early 1870s but was discovered on the Witwatersrand, in the Transvaal, in 1886. Thousands of white and black South Africans were employed on the mines by 1890. South Africa became the single biggest gold producer in the world, and this meant great growth for the independent Boer governments. The Transvaal now also became more prominent in international finance because of the importance of gold as an international monetary system. Britain was the center of industry and trade in the world at the time and needed a steady supply of gold to maintain this position.”

“Neighbouring independent states like the Orange Free State and British colonies like Natal could also gain from the riches and investment brought to the country. The Cape Colony was not the leading economic state in the country anymore and a Boer republic took its place. Even though the Transvaal gold mines were the richest in the world they were also the most difficult to mine because the reefs lay so deep under the ground. The gold had to be mined by shafts as opposed to open mines, like diamonds. Mining as an individual was not as efficient as using groups of miners with special skills. Large companies were created with local and international investment and individual miners were soon squeezed out.”

Prospectors streamed to South Africa from all over the world, especially from Europe

The Transvaal saw these foreigners, or Uitlanders, as a threat to their independence. In order to maintain its control of gold mining and the growth of the as they called them immigrant population, the Transvaal government restricted the voting right of the Uitlanders. Only foreigners who had been in the country for 14 years or more could vote. It was called the Uitlanders franchise and did not really bother most Uitlanders who had to come to South Africa to make their fortunes, but it did cause strain between the Transvaal and British governments.

The tension between political leaders

“There were various political leaders with opposing views in power in different parts of South Africa during the 1890s. Paul Kruger was president of the Transvaal or the South Africa Republic (SAR) and Cecil John Rhodes became the premier of the Cape Colony in 1890. Rhodes was from Britain and had made his fortune in South Africa by mining diamonds. He was also a supporter of the British imperial plan to unite South Africa under British rule. Kruger was a supporter of Boer independence and the two leaders were in direct conflict with each other. Rhodes believed that if the SAR were left to grow financially it would eventually grow in size and topple Britain from its position of power in South Africa. He specifically did not want the SAR to gain access to a route to the sea, as this world would seriously affect the economies of the British colonies. Rhodes and Britain were determined to stop the SAR’s expansion.”

The Jameson Raid

“By 1895 Britain was getting more confident about taking action in South Africa. Joseph Chamberlain was appointed Colonial Secretary. He joined forces with Rhodes to try to develop and promote the British Empire in South Africa. In September and October 1895, the Drift Crisis between the Cape Colony and the Transvaal or SAR developed. The Cape had finished building a railway line to Johannesburg and tried to get as much of the Transvaal’s railway traffic by reducing its rates. It was aware that the Transvaal’s Delagoa Bay line was almost complete. The Transvaal government increased the rates on the part of the railway that ran through Transvaal once it had crossed the Vaal River. Goods were taken to the Vaal River by train and then taken further by wagon to avoid paying the higher prices in the Transvaal. Kruger reacted by blocking access to the Transvaal, closing the drifts on the Transvaal side.”

The result of Anglo Boer war

“To most Afrikaners north of the Orange River, the only way that the ‘peace’ of Vereeniging could be reserved, was by regaining the independence of the Boer republics (and much later, the establishment of a Republic of South Africa).