Changes

==Prelude==

==Prelude==

The war was caused by the propaganda of [[Lord Alfred Milner]] against the government of the Transvaal, in which he claimed that they refused to grant equal voting rights to the many thousands of (largely British) settlers who had flocked to the area to exploit the gold mines of the Rand, while the mine owners sought to replace the government of President [[Paul Kruger]] with one more compliant to their interests. History shows that Milner's claims were false, though, as the Tranvaal government offered to dramatically shorten the time a Brittish citizen had to live in the South African Republic before recieving voting rights. Milner's propaganda was made in an attempt to find a reason to declare war on the Boer Republics, in order to expand the British Empire across Africa. An attempted coup - the 'Jameson Raid' (Dec 29 1895-Jan 2 1896) - backed by the Prime Minister of the Cape colony, Cecil Rhodes, failed, which let the Boers know that war was to follow.  

The war was caused by the refusal of the government of teh Transvaal to grant equal voting rights to the many thousands of (largely British) settlers who had flocked to the area to exploit the gold mines of the Rand, while the mine owners sought to replace the government of President [[Paul Kruger]] with one more compliant to their interests. This caused the mine owners and British nationals to pressure the authorities into toppling the Boer government. An attempted coup - the 'Jameson Raid' (Dec 29 1895-Jan 2 1896) - 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 [[Joseph 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.

In September 1899 the British Colonial Secretary [[Joseph 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.

==Concentration Camps==

==Concentration Camps==

The British systematically destroyed Boer crops, and killed cattle in order to deny food to the Boer Army.  Boer houses were also burned.  They forced Boer civilians into internment camps which were known as ''concentration camps'' where over 27,000 died because of hunger and disease.  Most of the victims were children and old people and this caused great bitterness among Boers who regarded the death-toll as a war crime.[http://www.boer.co.za/boerwar/hellkamp.htm]

The British systematically destroyed Boer crops, and killed cattle in order to deny food to the Boer Army.  Boer houses were also burned.  They forced Boer civilians into internment camps which were known as ''concentration camps'' (although completely dissimalar in extent and nature to the concentration camps established by [[Nazi]] and [[Communist]] governments to incarcerate political and ethnic enemies) where over 27,000 died because of hunger and disease.  Most of the victims were children and old people and this caused great bitterness among Boers who regarded the death-toll as a war crime.[http://www.boer.co.za/boerwar/hellkamp.htm]

==Ending==

==Ending==