Making of Modern South Africa

Making of Modern South Africa

1. Imperialism

   • definition: the practice of increasing a nations power by taking control of other nations and their resources
   • Britain
     • new investment opportunities
     • protection of existing trade
     • spread british beliefs

2. Piet Retief

   • traveller boer
   • attempted to make peace with the zulu
     • warrior tribe
     • zulu murdered travellers during a peace dinner
       • Boers fight back
         • 3,000 zulus died
         • blood river
         • Boer nationalism
           • sense of victory over wild and adversity
       • retief also killed

3. Anglo-Boer War

   • Cecil Rhodes became Premier of Cape Town
     • arch enemy of Paul kruger - premier of transvaal
       • in order to fulfill the telegraph plan it need to pass through transvall
   • failure of Jameson Raid
     • firing of cecile
     • tensions between Boers and british
       • each side expected the other to be plotting a war
     • broke trust
   • 11th October 1899 - war declared
     • british thought the war would be easy - BEF (British Expeditionary force
     • 1. The Boer Offensive - Pre-emptive attack - Oct to dec
       • 2. British Offensive Jan 1900 - new soldiers
         • 3. Guerrila Campaign
           • Boers turned disdvantages to advantages
             • used their knowledge of the land
             • Boers didnt have a uniform
               • created a sense of confusion
   • Scorched Earth Campaign
     • British burnet everything
       • not food or resources
       • March 1901
   • Ended may 1902 - Boer's surrendered
     • Treaty of Vereeninging
       • very generous terms to Boers due to british embarassment for their treatment
       • self government, payed debts etc.

4. Colonisation

   • silk road
     • dangerous and needed a safer route
       • trip by boat was very long and trecherous around Africa
   • Dutch East India Company
     • set up colony in Cape town as a bass for ships
       • Van Riebeeck and 125 settlers
       • Left 24 December 1651 - arrived 5 April 1652
       • 1657: Settlement Successful
   • 1658: Slaves introduced
     • cheap labour
     • alot to do
     • came from east coast of africa and madagascar
   • constant market from passing ships
   • Boer Nationalism
     • over coming adversity
     • settlers associated more with the cape than the netherland

5. Arrival of the British

   • 1795 - Cape given as a present for helping defeat Napolean
   • gained control in 1814
   • Boer felt betrayed and that it wasnt the Dutch gov's land to give
   • changes caused tensions
     • british newspaper
     • English speaking schools
     • British legal system
   • 1833: British Emmancipation Act - ban on slavery
     • Boers lost power and workers
   • Boers left and spread to other parts of South Africa
     • 15,000 people
     • 1834-1840
     • deaths : starvation, disease, animals, tribes
   • first boer state - Natalia - 1839
     • taken my British in 1843
   • 1856: Boer states joined to form South African republic
     • british lost interest due to no seeming value

6. Gold Rush

   • 1867: Gold discovered in North Orange River
   • Brought thousands of foreigners of 'Utilanders '
     • 10,000 people of mixed origin
   • 1896: Johannesburg built around this industry
   • Cecile Rhodes
     • owned a number of diamond companies
       • bought a lot of mines
     • wanted british control of South Africa back
     • wanted to connect Cape town with Cairo due to british connection with Egypt

7. Consolidation of the White State

   • white people have all the power
   • 1910: modern day South Africa was created
   • 1912: Protest groups emerge - ANC
     • educated black South Africans wanting equal rights
       • Segregation
         • Black citizens had 0 rights
         • 1943: Youth league of Anc