Boer War

The Boer war was fought between the British army and the two Boer (Dutch) republics in Africa, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, from 11 October 1899 until May 1902.

The war was caused by the treatment of British commercialists within the states, who were denied voting rights. This caused the mine owners and British nationals to pressure the authorities into toppling the Boer government. In addition the republics were an economic threat to the established British colonies in the region. An attempted coup backed by the Prime Minister of the Cape colony, Cecil Rhodes, failed, which let the Boers know that war was to follow.

In September 1899 the British Colonial Secretary Chamberlain issued an ultimatum demanding equal rights for the British within the republics. They retorted with an ultimatum of their own; if the British did not withdraw troops from the border within 48 hours they would declare war.

Initially the war was fought in the traditional style of pitched battles. Due to their expertise with the terrain and the disorganisation of the British the Boers were initially successful, launching offensives into the British colonies, however the immense capacity of the British Empire was brought to bear, and they were pushed back into their own states. The conflict then degenerated into a guerilla war. The British found that they could only control the territory they phyically occupied. But a mixture of new infantry tactics, fixed defences and the disillusionment of the native Africans with the Boers combined to end in the surrender of the Boer forces in May 1902 .

It officialy ended with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging, which gave the Boers approximately $5,700,000 to reconstruct and established the Union of South Africa, which was absorbed into the British Empire. The total number of casualties during the war was around 75,000, of which 22,000 were British soldiers, 7,000 were Boer soldiers, 25,000 were Boer civilians and possibly 20,000 black Africans. However the majority of the British casualties were as a result of disease and not through enemy fire. Template:Stub