The Russians And The Anglo Boer War 1899 1902

Using previously unavailable unique archival materials the authors present an absorbing history of a little known, but very significant aspect of the Anglo-Boer War.

Although much has been written about the conduct of the war in South Africa, very little has been written about how it was regarded on the world stage by powers both great and small. This collection of specially commissioned essays seeks for the first time to put the Boer War (1899-1902) in its international context. Each of the core chapters focuses on the perspective of one country (France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, and the United States) and assesses the extent to which each national government tried to capitalize on Britain's embarrassment and distraction while often entangled in imperialist ventures of their own. The anglophobia of many of the nations' press, the activities of pro-Boer organizations, and the shaping of public and parliamentary opinion are examined alongside the real politics and diplomatic considerations that took precedence. In addition, there are summation chapters that examine both the origins of the war and its legacy for Britain's expansionist ambitions. Together these essays present the latest findings on a watershed in international relations that heralded substantive changes of attitude and policy on the part of national governments towards their dependencies and had far-reaching consequences for alliance systems and the international balance of power at the start of the twentieth century.

This volume contends that the Boer War had a far greater impact upon British military reform than previously appreciated. The study concludes that had there not been the Boer War then quite possibly the First World War might have turned out differently. To support this judgment the Boer War is itself examined in terms of its impact on numerous and diverse fields of military concern. Co-published by arrangement with Atlantic Research and Publications, Inc.

From 1899 to 1902, South Africa was convulsed by the conflict between Britain and two small Afrikaner republics, the ZAR (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. This is an outline of the war, through the first formal stages to the guerilla struggle of the bitter end. Finally, it focuses on individual aspects of the war that are often overlooked in a more general approach. The interplay of text and pictures seeks to illuminate the social complexities of a hostile veld, and the role of blacks in the warfare.

The black spot—the one very black spot—in the picture is the frightful mortality in the Concentration Camps. I entirely agree with you in thinking, that while a hundred explanations may be offered and a hundred excuses made, they do not really amount to any adequate defence. I should much prefer to say at once, so far as the Civil authorities are concerned, that we were suddenly confronted with a problem not of our making, with which it was beyond our power properly to grapple. And no doubt its vastness was not realised soon enough. It was not till six weeks or two months ago that it dawned on me personally, (I cannot speak for others), that the enormous mortality was not merely incidental to the first formation of the camps and the sudden inrush of thousands of people already sick and starving, but was going to continue. The fact that it continues, is no doubt a condemnation of the Camp system. The whole thing, I think now, has been a mistake.Alfred Milner to Joseph Chamberlain, December 7th, 1901The British scorched earth policy during the last phase of the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 led to the burning of farms, the destruction of homesteads, harvests and livestock and to the internment of the civil population in the so-called concentration camps. There, people—mainly women and children—died of malnutrition and diseases such as measles, pneumonia and typhoid. The death rate in the camps was so high—nearly 28,000 white Boers succumbed—that the English population, renowned for its gallantry and chivalry, was consternated. Lloyd George blamed his government for its policy of extermination, Campbell-Bannerman spoke of methods of barbarism, and philanthropic institutions protested, led by Emily Hobhouse, who was the first civilian to investigate the conditions of the camps. The government reacted and sent a ladies' commission under the leadership of Millicent Garrett Fawcett to South Africa.Birgit Seibold's study is the first to compare the 'inofficial' and the official report on the camps and to give an insight into conditions in each of the thirty-three white concentration camps. Based on first-hand research among the Hobhouse manuscripts, this book is both scholarly and compulsively readable.

Since the start of the Anglo-Boer War today 120 years ago thousands of publications, written or typed reports and other creations have been produced to narrate the war events, express opinions on its origins, causes, course, results and legacy and on participants in the struggle. This process is ongoing, since the debate amongst both professional historians and interested amateurs on exactly what happened and why is still raging and new information on the war still crops up. The history of the Anglo-Boer War is truly a neverending discourse. As the author of a number of books on the war, I have consulted hundreds of both published and unpublished sources. Some were of limited value, but a small percentage of the published books were of such high value that they formed part of a small stack of books that found a permanent home on my desktop while I was in the writing process. Pieter Cloete’s The Anglo-Boer War – A Chronology, both the original English version and the enlarged Afrikaans version published in 2010, was always part of that stack. It is to me a privilege to write a foreword for the user-friendly and meticulously researched book. It not only contains a wealth of information but a detailed source list and an extensive index. There are few, if any, more helpful reference books on the war and thus represents an essential resource to anyone with a more than superficial interest in the Anglo-Boer War. DR JACKIE GROBLER Historian and author Recently retired after 40 years at the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies, The University of Pretoria.

This book focuses upon the wartime experiences of black people, and to examine the war in the context of a complex and rapidly changing colonial society increasingly shaped, but not yet transformed, by mining capital.