It is possible that the Boers would live happily ever after in their South African colonies if they did not have two troubles. The first fell on their heads from where they did not wait - in the form of the world's largest diamond deposit. The second came almost immediately: after that, they also found gold. Since then, everything has rolled ...
The Boer War is hung with stereotypes, like a Christmas tree with toys. Moreover, stereotypes almost completely filled the informational niche about this event. A little reliable, a lot of fakes. The years of the Boer War were remembered by the mass patriotic moods on both sides, the tags of that time were: “oppression of rights”, “nation in danger”, “bloodthirsty killers”, “we will defend democracy”, “we will not give offense” and so on. Songs, films, romance ... In reality, there were rivers of blood, barbed wire and concentration camps.
Features of the Boer War: kindergarten is over
It was the first swallow - the first war of the 20th century, which laid the foundation for many bloody military finds that were developed and “successfully” used in subsequent wars - the most terrible in world history.
This was the first war in which both belligerents were engaged in the deformation of public consciousness for pre-war and military agitation. There were already technical opportunities for this: photographs, newspaper reports, telegraph messages, with the help of which the population in many countries watched and knew about the course of military operations for several hours.
Who are the Boers
Who are the Boers in the Boer War, before and after it? This is an interesting people - South African shepherds of Dutch-Belgian origin. They came to Africa many years before the military events, when the mistress of the seas was Holland, and not at all the great and terrible British Empire. In the middle of the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company founded a small settlement near the cape of Good Hope and brought back peasant children - Flemings and Dutch. So the Cape colony was formed. The Dutch needed a reliable and quiet harbor for their ships in the middle of complex sea lanes. The town was growing at the expense of large-scale French Huguenots, Germans, Danes and others - all who wanted to escape or escape from various troubles on the European continent. Residents mixed up and formed a new nation, which became known as the Boers - "peasants" in Dutch. They called themselves Afrikaners. Their main occupation was agriculture, and everything would be fine, but at the end of the 18th century a series of events began that interrupted their serene African life.
Stereotypes associated with the image of unhappy, oppressed and oppressed Boers are an interesting and very instructive story. The Boers from the Boers are heroes and victims. Here is the most common stereotype, which appeared thanks to numerous photographs and journalistic reporting in countries with anti-British moods.
At the same time, Mark Twain wrote about the Boers as an American journalist. Everyone knew Mark Twain; they used to trust his reporting. Here is his literal description of the Boers:
“The Boers are very pious, deeply ignorant, stupid, stubborn, intolerant, unscrupulous, hospitable, honest in their relations with whites, cruel to their black servants ... they don’t care what’s happening in the world.”
Numerous sympathizers forgot that the Boers cleared their "place in the sun" with rifles. Their skills in military tactics and marksmanship appeared not just like that, but as a result of long and extremely cruel clashes with the local black population. The Boers were one of the most ruthless slaveholders in the history of slavery.
The first Boer disaster
The causes of the Boer War were multiple, complex and gradually recruited. It all started with Napoleon, who defeated the Netherlands at the end of the 18th century: the mother mother country ceased to exist. No one would give an orphan to such a tidy colonial piece, and in fact, the British immediately captured the town and began to impose their British order. Instead of the Dutch language, you had to write and speak English - it was not so bad. The real trouble began when the British abolished slavery in 1834. Afrikaners could not bear such a thing: the work of slaves - local residents - was the basis of local economic prosperity. The Boers began to move inland, to the north of the country. Two new colonies formed there: Transvaal, or the Republic of South Africa, and the Orange Free State (Orange Republic). The British recognized these young colonies, and then everything could go quietly and without incident, but two troubles fell on the head of the poor farmers.
The first trouble happened in the Orange Republic in 1867 - they found the world's largest diamond deposit. This event attracted a huge number of newcomers to the region - mostly crooks and fast-food lovers from various countries. The colonial invaders did not stand aside. Here the matter was not without petty skirmishes and attempts to establish English as the state language. A diamond deposit is such a serious thing that it became the first of the causes of the Boer War. This war was divided into two - the first and second. In the world it is believed that the British lost the first Boer War. The British themselves do not think so, they are more inclined to the expression "technical defeat." In any case, these results, far from brilliant, forced the British to draw serious conclusions about their combat effectiveness in general and the technical equipment of the army in particular. The British have always been able to draw conclusions.
Cunning and speed versus discipline and building
The first Boer War began in 1880. Its main reason was described by the only correct word - diamonds. The capture of the territory with diamond deposits, which belonged to the Orange Republic, was quick and easy - it was a classic annexation. The main and only force in support of this capture was a cavalry detachment of 26 people. All would be fine, but soon the Boers felt a stiff noose of colonial British management on their neck. They were invited (or rather, they were forced to) to pay tax debts, which allegedly accumulated over the free years of the existence of the republic. The Boers suffered all this for only three years.
They began the war: they surrounded and besieged all the English garrisons on the territory of Transvaal. The first, but not the last disastrous point for the British army was their famous military uniform with red uniforms - magnificent targets against the backdrop of the African landscape. This was lesson number one: the Boers, dressed in “rural” colors, were a harbinger of khaki uniforms, against regular British troops dressed in red for unknown reasons, as far as functionality and efficiency are concerned. The Boers bypassed the British in all respects of quick and maneuverable combat. Cunning and speed were the main priorities of the Boers. And if you consider that they were excellent shooters, had experience of fast secretive movement, knew the terrain and other features of the terrain perfectly, then the Boer victory over the British in every local battle would not be surprises. Separate local battles are a characteristic feature of the first Boer War, because the general battle never happened. This war lasted only three months. The British government decided to halt hostilities, to make concessions and to provide the Boers with the following guarantees and obligations under the Pretoria Convention:
- Self-government in the Transvaal.
- The recognition of Great Britain as overlord (almost the main feudal lord who owns all the land).
- Permanent Representative of Great Britain in Pretoria.
- Britain's right to send troops in case of war.
- The right of Great Britain to control foreign policy.
- Freedom of the Transvaal in its domestic politics.
- Transvaal full control of the African population.
As a result, four years after the annexation of the “diamond” land, the Boers regained their independence, which was further strengthened after three years: in 1884, the uncomfortable word “overlord” was eliminated in the London Convention. In addition, the western border of the country was specified and approved, which drove a nail into the coffin under the name “South African Confederation” - the British dream of a complete colonial monopoly in the region. The Boers killed this dream. But not for good. The British retreated to lick their wounds after shameful defeats. Ahead of them was a serious debriefing and far-reaching military conclusions.
The second trouble on the head of the Boers
Following the first disaster, a second year later, a second one came to the poor Boers: in 1886, a rich gold deposit was found in Transvaal. The classic gold rush has begun. A stream of "come in large numbers" immediately surged into the colony, only now for the most part these were people from the British Empire. At first, the Boers were very pleased with such a series of events. They did not want and did not intend to work in the mines, but they agreed to cut coupons in the form of high taxes from gold miners and diamond seekers, which they started to do. In Transvaal, there was a division of the population: the Boers continued to engage in agriculture, the visiting "Oytlander" (the majority - the British) worked in mines and mines. The Otlander loudly declared their rights and wishes: to reduce customs duties, the tax on mining, to participate in the elections as equal citizens, to give English the status of the state language along with Dutch.
Another requirement was related to the religious status of the Boers. The fact is that they were all extremely devout - they all belonged to the Protestant branch, Calvinism. Such total piety at the country level resulted in a ban on being civil servants or voting for everyone who was not a Calvinist. The Oytlander, who in no way were Boer religious colleagues, demanded that they be given such a right. The local government was not in vain afraid of making full-fledged citizens of visiting miners: the very first elections with miner's votes would help the pro-British forces to stand at the helm. On the other hand, the rights of a large and serious group of people were infringed on by all possible criteria, there was discrimination against workers in the relevant industry of the country. Interestingly, claiming rights in the Transvaal, the Otlander were not going to give up British citizenship.
It was an infringement of civil rights and the need for protection that became the occasion for the famous "Jameson Raid" in 1895. It was in Transvaal, where a special military detachment under the command of Dr. Jameson invaded to launch the uprising of local miners. The uprising did not happen, most of the Oytlander advocated for a peaceful resolution of their civil claims. Jameson’s detachment was surrounded and captured. Because of this situation, the career of Joseph Chamberlain, the famous British politician of the early 20th century, nearly ended in scandal. At that time, he held the post of Minister for Colonial Affairs and oversaw the entire South African adventure with a military landing in Transvaal. They managed to destroy documents and correspondence, so Chamberlain came out of the water dry. He never managed to persuade the authorities to start a war in the Transvaal. The then British government was very peaceful and did not intend to start any military action. This is where the first pre-war information campaign started.
The first fakes of pre-war agitation
The debut of organized pre-war agitation was organized by the governor of the Cape Colony (neighboring territory, long owned by Britain). He was a master at reporting to London, in which he greatly exaggerated the distressing existence of miners in the Transvaal. Materials from intelligence, reports from correspondents, letters to relatives in foreign countries - everything was aimed at forming the image of a drill - a villain, a religious fanatic and a cruel slave owner. Photos were not yet widely used then, and there was no need for them: this fake stream of deformed information did not need truthful illustrations - photos of the Boer War were not yet in use. Everything was replaced by beautiful and unrealistic painted pictures. The English press was filled with such reports and was surprisingly unanimous in its assessment of the “bloodthirstiness of the damned Boers”. After many years in the archives, it turns out that the entire South African epic was taken from two newspapers in Cape Town.
Everything was not easy, as is often observed in politics. At the end of the 19th century, a young toothy German empire roamed in Africa: the Germans began to build a railway across the continent - they had far-reaching goals and plans. Private banks were interested in diamond mining, ready to invest in the most ambitious and ambitious projects - diamonds and gold will pay for everything. The Rothschilds trading house was included in the campaign process, which meant that a lot of money appeared in the “patriotic” movement. Public opinion was what could help break the will of a government that depended on the vote. And so it happened.
The struggle between the Boers and the British was presented as a racial war between the Anglo-Saxons and the Dutch. As a pepper, they added protection of the honor and dignity of the nation and race. The most interesting thing is that even then an enemy "Russian trace" was found in the political campaign - a legend was invented and replicated about the influence of Russia on the Boers because of its many years of envy and claims on India.
Germany was really worried: Kaiser Wilhelm II publicly stated that he would not allow Britain to defeat Transvaal, which greatly added heat to the British patriotic firebox. The informational cocktail turned out to be rich and worked well. People were waiting for blood. The government was silent.
Now the war is not childish
The second Boer War began in 1898, eighteen years after the first. It consisted of three stages:
- Boer offensive.
- British offensive.
- Guerrilla warfare.
Despite the fact that the British always knew how to draw conclusions and after the defeat in the first war, much changed in the regular army, the deployment and concentration of troops took an unforgivably long time. The Boers, having seen this, decided to deliver a preventive strike with the help of special detachments of Afrikaners - commandos, which occupied advantageous heights, promptly cut the railways and surrounded the British border towns. The first successes were on the side of the Boers. But the British “changed their shoes” literally on the go. The old “frontal” tactics were replaced by high-speed flanking maneuvers. By the way, they didn’t even remember about the red uniforms, the British army was dressed in “khaki” immediately after the first Boer War. The British offensive led to a quick defeat and, most importantly, the collapse of the Boer army.
An important fact is that the main cause of the collapse was not a military defeat, but complete confusion and stagger inside the Boers. The fact is that they never had a regular army. Therefore, strange rules for the war were in effect: unit commanders were chosen by voting, soldiers could not obey them at all and easily leave the army. Such democracy led to the failure of the Boer command and, as a result, to defeat in a regular war. The third partisan stage was logical: not all soldiers of the Boer army agreed to surrender just like that. After many anti-partisan raids and the first scorched earth tactics in history, the British learned to deal effectively with partisans: these were frequent short raids deep into the Boer territories using the world's first armored trains and wire depots. It was a bloody and long two-year struggle.
The nature of the Boer War was predatory. In some sources it is called classical colonial. The causes and results of the Boer War lie on the same plane: in 1902, the Transvaal and the Orange Republic recognized the power of the British Crown and became full-fledged British colonies, which was to be proved. In response, both republics received a package of quite democratic guarantees and compensations for the damage to farms. In a few years they will completely dissolve in the Union of South Africa. In short, the Boer War was the last opportunity for the colonial armies to draw adequate conclusions at the beginning of the 20th century. This opportunity was not used by all and not completely. The Boer War and its outcomes became a sad historical example under the heading "When You Still Can Stop."
Gun revolution
The issue of weapons in the Boer War deserves a separate story. It all started with a real gun revolution: nitropowder appeared. And its use has led to increased power and range of weapons. The rifles became magazine (instead of single-shot, which after each shot had to be recharged).
Mauser rifles of a new generation appeared and showed all their capabilities precisely in the Boer War. Of course, the Boers owned them, which were already excellent shooters. At the same time, new cartridges appeared - bullets with a tapering bottom, which significantly increased the accuracy of the fire and ensured the striking ability of the new weapon.
The German guns produced by the Krupp factories (again on the side of the Boers) became famous to such an extent that the British also began to buy them, having their own cannon production.
Bullets "doom-doom", or explosive, began to be used by the British. The effect was truly murderous: after the Boers saw the action of these bullets, they began to shoot the prisoners on the spot, in which they found their supplies.
Military "innovations" in the piggy bank of world wars of the 20th century
- Numerous foreign legionnaires. If during the first Boer War the information campaign was conducted from the British side for its own purposes, then its second part was accompanied by a noisy anti-British campaign. Foreigners began to gather in Transvaal to fight for justice and against oppression and lack of rights. The Russians in the Boer War participated very actively, and not only in military operations. Surprisingly in Russia, the impression was that the drill is close in its mentality to the Russian peasant. Compassion, songs about the Transvaal, detailed military reports about the battles in the Russian press - the Boer War took a special place in the hearts of Russians. High school students knew better the geography of southern Africa than their native provinces.
- Scorched earth tactics were first used to "clean up" farmlands in the fight against Boer partisans.
- Barbed wire fences have gained worldwide fame thanks to numerous published photographs that have led the townsfolk into holy horror.
- Snipers and sniper technology - the discovery of the Boers. They began to land their most well-aimed shooters from former hunters in the most convenient camouflaged positions (the word "sniper" means a hunter who is able to shoot a snipe who knows how to fly in zigzags.)
- Commando is the main tactical unit of the Boer army, which includes a number of soldiers equal to approximately the battalion. The Boers were well-known masters of fast movement, including at night, so military special forces (read “super-units”) became known as “commandos”.
- Armored trains: they were invented long before the events in the Transvaal, but for the first time they were used as a real tactical weapon during the anti-partisan stage of the second Boer War.
- Concentration camps for Boers - relatives of partisans.
Not the Sherlock Holmes. Not Mowgli
Arthur Conan Doyle in the Boer War was a real heavyweight in the new military information journalism. In addition, he became the first unofficial historian of this war, in which he participated as a military doctor. As a result, Conan Doyle's book, The Boer War, appeared and was published. Although the author always noticed that he was not writing historical work at all, the British government was extremely in need of any support for its South African policy, so the book was immediately published and strongly welcomed.
Rudyard Kipling wrote his famous poem “If,” influenced by the story of Dr. Jameson’s failed raid deep into the Boer territories. The poem is sometimes called the "Commandment", according to surveys of the British in recent years, it steadily holds first place as the most popular poetic work in the UK.
Books and films about the Boer War - a separate story. Given the “non-global” scale of the war, an unprecedented number of films and books were shot and written about it. This is well explained by the expressed informational and agitational accompaniment of the war on both sides. The British needed an ideological justification for their colonial aggression (“Life and Death of Colonel Blimp”), the Boers and the anti-British coalition of countries tried to present the image of Afri-Boers in the most romantic and heroic style (“Uncle Kruger”). Now no one is figuring out the correctness or wrongness of the participants in the war. The main thing is the remaining poems, novels and films about the Boer War. And a quality unbiased story with truthful details and deep conclusions. Learning from a true story is always useful and extremely interesting.
If we talk about the causes and results of the Boer War briefly, then the situation is as follows.
The reasons are clear: the colonial struggle for rich resource lands.
But with the results, not everything is so simple. Short-term results - yes, victory and profit for the British. But with long results, everything is different: the Boers were the winners, who remained to live in two independent and wealthy states in the very south of Africa.
Well, the sad military "trophies" in the form of concentration camps, barbed wire, sniper technologies and so on on a gloomy list.
What else can be said about the Boer War? Brief summary: there are two world leaders ahead, everything came in handy ...