During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries South Africa was plagued by war. Conflicts arose between the Dutch settlers, known as the Boers and the British, in an attempt to carry out Kipling’s “White mans burden”, which gave way to two wars, known as the Anglo-Boer Wars. Major conflict was caused by the British presence and quest for imperialism and the Boer’s strive for independence.
The Dutch were the first known to settle in South Africa, landing in the Cape in 1652. The goal of the settlement was to create an anchorage for the ships of the Dutch East India Company, a place to re-stock the ships with supplies. The settlement flourished and the population grew quickly, establishing a large farming community. The settlers pushed eastwards looking to obtain more land, this brought them into contact with the natives, which they in turn conquered and abolished. The acquirement of new land created a need for cheap labor, slaves were brought in from other Dutch colonies in the East. Due in part to its dividend policy, the company began spending far more than it was taking in. As a result, The Dutch East India Company went bankrupt in 1794. This allowed for the British, with their view of global imperialism, to enter the scene.
The British arrived in South Africa a year after the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt, (1795). Initially, they held little to no control over its inhabitants due to the protection being offered by the French with whom Britain was warring. Twenty years later, once conflict had ended the British officially controlled the Cape-this was finalized in 1815. The British made many changes to the colony, several of which enraged the Boers. The abolishment of slavery, enforced use of En...
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...munity even though the Africans far outnumbered the whites. They used a combination of fear tactics, Jim Crow-like separation laws, and political maneuvers to keep the Africans in line. The system banned black South Africans from political participation creating a completely European government. The country did not hold free elections until 1994 when Nelson Mandela made history by becoming the first black leader of South Africa.
Blacks still struggle in 2014 in South Africa. Whites still control the majority of business investments and wealth inside the country. There is a huge problem with HIV/AIDS that mainly effects the black population. Crime and sexual assault rates are some of the highest in Africa and the government is constantly bogged down in corruption scandals. The legacy of the Boer’s is one that still can be felt on the streets of South Africa today.
Jamestown was the first successful settlement established by England. It was first built in 1607 and lasted until about 1614. On the first ship, 100 male settlers set off for a new settlement in the New World. Life there at times was hard for various reasons. They did, however, become 7 7 trading partners with the Indians. 80% of Jamestown’s more than 500 settlers that had arrived had been dead by 1611. The reason for this is because of sickness and disease, lack of resources, and where they chose to build their settlement.
The severely different environments in the New England and Chesapeake area allowed for different economies to progress. The original reason for settlement of the gentry who claimed Jamestown in 1607 was due to expectations; settlers expected to find gold, riches and Native Americans who were willing to serve them and wait on them. The swampland they had settled on made it difficult to grow crops, but in 1616, tobacco had become the staple of exports in the Chesapeake region. To fuel this expanding economy, indentured servants were introduced to private plantations and in 1619, slaves began to be shipped from Africa. Rather than settle for wealth-related purposes, the Separatist Puritans wanted to separate from the Church of England, while maintaining their English culture; this led them to occupy Plymouth in 1620. The land was fertile and allowed for crop growth, which grew large economic activity in corn and cattle trade. Although land was an important factor in success, their will and desire to do hard work was the key factor and distinguished them from the gentry that settled the Chesapeake region. In 1628, the Mass Bay Company, who too were...
While Portuguese power declined, the British, Dutch, and French powers rose due to firmly standing footholds along the coast. In 1652, Dutch immigrants sailed to the southern tip of Africa and established Cape Town, which was the first permanent European settlement to supply ships sailing to and, from the East Indies. Boers, Dutch farmers, settled in Cape Town and believed they were superior to the native peoples; there, they ousted, enslaved, and killed the people who lived there. The migrations of the Boers “… would eventually lead to battle with several African groups” (455). By the seventeenth century, British and French presences had both reached present-day Senegal. The French established a fort in this region by 1700. After hearing stories about British explorers’ quest for the Nile River’s source, the French and British were intrigued and set off to find this source. These forts led to the continuation of European exploration during the next century in Africa.
The Jamestown colony in Virginia, established by the Virginia Company, was the first established colony in North America. The Virginia Company would have investors invest in the New World for gold, treasure, or a sea passage in return. Members of the company, eager to find treasure, arrived in the New World. There was no gold or treasure. The members had to survive in the wilderness. They had to face diseases, the “starvation” time, and clashes with the Native Americans until they found the key to wealth – tobacco.
The Boer War has been the focus of a considerable body of fiction numbering over two hundred novels and at least fifty short stories in English, Afrikaans, French, German Dutch, Swedish and even Urdu if we count the translation of Rider Haggard's Jess in 1923.
A. Adu Boahen's African Perspectives on Colonialism neatly classifies African responses to European colonialism during both phases of invasion and occupation during the 19th century with precise labels according to their nature or time period. However, the reactions can also be loosely grouped into two diametric characterizations: peaceful and violent. Although creating this dichotomy seems a gross generalization and oversimplification of the colonial African experience, it more importantly allows for a different perspective- one that exposes the overwhelming success of the typically peaceful or pacifist reaction in contrast to the little gain and large losses of the violent response.
Imperialism in Africa took root in the late 19th century when European nations divided up the continent for their own benefit. Each nation practiced a certain type of rule over the Africans of which they conquered. For example, the Germans, the Dutch, and the French used the practice of Direct Rule over their colonies in Africa. This system is characterized by the colonizers need for the colonized to become assimilated into their culture. The purpose of this was to make the African people “civilized” and act like Europeans. The governing administrations forced on the native inhabitants by the colonial power were meant to undermine those institutions set in place by the indigenous people. By taking over the community’s government on all levels,
Africa is a land of riches like no other, so as expected, European countries would have some sort of desire to conquer properties in whatever way they did. As stated in African Colonies and their Exports Chart, countless of natural resources are found in different areas in Africa. Not only does the data show plenty of resources, but also a variety (Doc D). This confirms that Africa is a wealthy land that Europeans grew fond of and hoped to take over. Specified in Imports and Exports Graph, following the 1900’s, after the conference to divide up Africa was held, Britain decided to use Africa’s natural resources and specialize in many industries. The imports doubled from 4 million pounds, while the exports boosted from 2.5 million all the way to 21 million pounds (Doc. E). With this lucrative increase in trading and selling, it is fair to conclude that not only were resources a factor of beginning imperialism in Africa, but also a successful result.
In 1806, Britain would take possession of the Dutch Cape colony during the Napoleonic wars with Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France. The Boers, descendants of the original Dutch settlers in Africa, would come to resent this British rule and Britain's anti-slavery policies that would be forced upon them. Much of the Boer way of life depended on the work from their slaves. In attempts to free themselves from British rule the Boers would make the “Great Trek” in 1833. They would press into tradition tribal territory and would found the twin republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Peace between the new republics and the British would hold until gold and diamonds were discovered, in 1867. In the spirit of greed, war was inevitable to break out between the Boer and the British, although peace did hold for several years after the discovery. In 1890 skirmishes would begin and in 1899 an all-out war prec...
During Imperialistic times South Africa was a region of great resources that was greatly disputed over (Ellis). Europe’s main goal during these times was to compete against each other and played a “game” of which country can imperialize more African countries than the other. Imperialism was a curse to South Africa, because many wars, laws, and deaths were not necessary and would not have happened if South Africa were not imperialized.
The End of Apartheid - HistoryWiz South Africa. (n.d.). HistoryWiz: for students, teachers and lovers of history. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from http://www.historywiz.org/end.htm
South Africa really began to suffer when apartheid was written into the law. Apartheid was first introduced in the 1948 election that the Afrikaner National Party won. The plan was to take the already existing segregation and expand it (Wright, 60). Apartheid was a system that segregated South Africa’s population racially and considered non-whites inferior (“History of South Africa in the apartheid era”). Apartheid was designed to make it legal for Europeans to dominate economics and politics (“History of South Africa in the apartheid era”).
Long before apartheid Diamonds and gold were found in South Africa by Europeans. This led to European colonization of South Africa. War between the English and the Dutch erupted in South Africa for the natural resources. They soon came to an agreement to make money off of cheap labor and slaves. The English and Dutch Europeans felt they were superior to the native South Africans. The use of slaves by the Dutch East Company made wages for working South Africans low. Then England emancipated slaves and slavery was traded with segregation. Race started to correspond with class in the social system with white being at the top of the system.
Old South Africa is best described by Mark Uhlig, “The seeds of such violent conflict in South Africa were sown more than 300 years ago, with the first meetings of white settlers and indigenous black tribes in an unequal relationship that was destined one day to become unsustainable” (116).
The apartheid was a very traumatic time for blacks in South Africa. Apartheid is the act of literally separating the races, whites and non-whites, and in 1948 the apartheid was now legal, and government enforced. The South African police began forcing relocations for black South Africans into tribal lines, which decreased their political influence and created white supremacy. After relocating the black South Africans, this gave whites around eighty percent of the land within South Africa. Jonathan Jansen, and Nick Taylor state “The population is roughly 78 percent black, 10 percent white, 9 percent colored, and l...