The Burenkrieg of 1899-1902 was a conflict between Great Britain and the Burenrepubliken Oranje Free State and Transvaal, which ended with the integration of the latters into the British Empire. Causes were on the one hand striving Great Britain for the of the region and to a territorially closed colonial empire in Africa and on the other hand the legislation hostile to foreigners of the Burenrepubliken.

Prehistory

After the transfer of the Netherlands possessions at the south point of Africa at Great Britain 1806 the Buren living in the cape colony came increasingly into the minority. In order to protect their identity and the British laws to bend not have (e.g. the legal equalization of free natives or the abolishment of the slavery), thousands of Buren in the large Treck so mentioned of 1836-1844 evaded themselves in the hinterland. North the Oranje river created they 1842 the Oranje Free State with the capital Bloemfontein and 1853 north the Vaal the Republic of Transvaal (also: South African republic) with the capital Pretoria.

From the beginning the two Burenrepubliken stood to the expansionist tendency of Great Britain in the way, so that again and again conflicts - armed also - developed. The 1877 effected Annexion Transvaals by the Empire released 1880/81 a rebellion of the Buren, in which they reached the independence of their country from the Empire. This rebellion is called occasionally also first Burenkrieg.

Releasing factors

Gold, diamonds and Uitlanders

The most important releasing moment for the Burenkrieg was the discovery of the productive diamond and Gold-Vorkommen 1869 in Kimberley and 1886 in Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) in the area of the Burenrepubliken. The chance for fast wealth attracted thousands of gold graves out all Mr. above all naturally from the neighbouring British colonies, the cape colony and Natal. The Buren saw itself again threatened in their characteristic. Under the anti-British gesinnten president of Transvaal, Paulus "ohms of (1883-1904) refused it "to the Uitlanders in such a way specified "the political and legal equalization.

Rhodes and the cape Cairo plan

politics supplied with the pretext to Great Britain to make themselves the lawyer of the foreigners to the Burenrepubliken and proceed again against their independence. The actual interest of the British policy applied however for control of the and the implementation of the cape Cairo plan in such a way specified, which planned a closed British colonial empire from Egypt to South Africa.

One the Protagonisten of this plan was an imperialistic politician Cecil Rhodes, an entrepreneur become richly in the diamond business, who sat since 1881 as a delegate in the parliament of the cape colony. In order to encircle the Burenrepubliken, it had 1885 the appropriation of Betschuana country, which today's Botswana, and 1889 those of the later Rhodesien (today Zambia and Simbabwe) operated by the British.

The Jameson Raid

Since 1890 Rhodes was a prime minister of the cape colony and continued its encirclement politics. 1895 it supported the Jameson Raid in such a way specified, an armed assault under guidance of the Britisher Leander rigidly Jameson, by the president to be fallen should. It succeeded to the government of the South African republic however to defeat this plan.

The successful protection against this notice caused emperors Wilhelm IITH to a congratulations telegram at ohms The telegram in such a way specified released again in England a wave of anti-German indignation.

While the Jameson Raid woke the war readiness in the Burenrepubliken, the British saw themselves 1897 by the military alliance between the Oranje Free State and Transvaal provokes.

The war process

After an ultimatum, which had placed the British governor of the cape colony, Alfred Milner, the fighting broke out on 12 October 1899. The Burenarmeen counted some German officers, who followed voluntarily up to 85.000 men, under it also. They were well armed and could besides in the own country freely move and board. Of it however rarely more than 40,000 men stood in the field. Faced them at the beginning of only approx. 10,000 British soldiers. The fights ran for the Buren therefore first extremely favorably.

First successes of the Buren

Among the generals January Christiaan Smuts, of Louis Botha and James Barry Munnick Hertzog forced themselves the Buren the British, into the cities Ladysmith to withdraw Kimberley and Mafikeng. The British commander in chief, general talking verse Buller, failed first with the attempt to cross the river Tugela in order besieged cities to frighten. In December 1899 and in January 1900 he had besides in the battles of Colenso and feeler gauge Kop two catastrophic defeats against the Burenarmee under general Botha to accept.

Turn in favor of the British

The sheet turned for the British only, when Buller at the beginning of the yearly 1900 was replaced from field marshal Frederick Sleigh of Robert and its chief of staff general Horatio Herbert Kitchener and 60,000 men reinforcement in South Africa arrived. Those besieged cities were free-fought, and the Buren with Paardeberg, dia. moon Hill and Belfast struck. On 5 June the capital Transvaals, Pretoria fell, and president fled to Europe. The war seemed to be won for Great Britain; Robert returned to England and left Kitchener the supreme command.

Guerrilla war and burned earth

Now however the Buren changed its tactics and turned into to a guerrilla war extremely involving heavy losses for the British. Under their leader, they continued to fight to general Christiaan De Wet still full two years long. In small troops they accomplished surprise attacks - mostly on the communication links, supply and traffic routes of the British -, in order to then withdraw itself rapidly.

Since a in such a way operating opponent was hardly to be seized on conventional way, Kitchener turned a strategy "burned earth "on: The farms in the Guerillagebieten were destroyed and the harvests were destroyed, around the opponent auszuhungern. Approximately 120,000 farm inhabitants, above all women and children, in concentration camps were interned. Of it died over 27.000 due to catastrophic living conditions at hunger and diseases.

Beyond that Kitchener continued to limit the freedom of movement of the burischen Guerilla always. In addition first a system put on by blockhouses along the lines and finally over the whole country, which were occupied with small garrisons.

Both sides pulled in besides natives of South Africa into their argument, although they had united itself to beginning of war not to do this. The Buren shot many black ones, which fought on sides of the British, with the capture, because her her not when regular Kombattanten wanted to recognize. Thereupon also Kitchener let burische prisoners execute.

Peace treaty

To 31. May 1902 was terminated the Burenkrieg with the peace by Vereeniging. The contract planned the integration of the two Burenrepubliken into the British Empire, granted to the Buren however otherwise generous peace conditions: They received all rights of British citizens and Africa to as office language were recognized. In order the Buren to befrieden, agreed the British in the contract in addition, discriminating regulations, which limited the citizen rights of the non-white inhabitants Transvaals and the Oranje of Free State.

At the time of the conclusion of a contract 250,000 from altogether 450,000 used British soldiers approx. 30,000 fighters on sides of the Buren faced. (The British had in the middle replaced their traditional red skirts in the Burenkrieg against modern Khaki uniforms in camouflage color.)

Reconciliation after the war

Despite the fights led with extreme cruelty the reconciliation between the British and Buren succeeded relatively rapidly. Already the Oranje Free State and Transvaal autonomy and own governments were entitled to 1907. 1910 formed it with the cape colony and Natal the South African union. This received the status of a Dominion within the British Empire, was from then on thus in fact a sovereign state. All three generals of the struck Burenarmee, Botha, Smuts and Hertzog, served the union successively as prime ministers.

Not all Buren resigned themselves nevertheless to the situation: Thus the former Christiaan De Wet tried during the 1. To release world war a per-German rebellion, which did not have a chance for success however due to the weakness of the German colonial force in German southwest Africa.

See also

• History of South Africa, list of wars, list by battles, Johanna Brandt

Literature

• Winston Churchill, The Boer was, London 1989. ISBN 0-85052-261-7 (English)
• Heinrich Jaenecke, the white gentlemen. 300 years war and force in South Africa, Hamburg 51986. ISBN 3-570-03210-8
• Johannes Meintjes, the Burenkrieg 1899-1902, Munich 1979. ISBN 3-85339-158-3
• Thomas Pakenham, The Boer was, London 1979
• Ian R. Smith, The Origins OF the South African was 1899-1902, London 1996
• Andreas Steinsieck, an imperialistic medium war. War correspondent in the South African war (1899-1902), in: Ute Daniel (Hg.), eye-witnesses. War reporting of 18. to 21. Century, Goettingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 2006, P. 87-112. ISBN 3-525-36737-6

Articles in category "Burenkrieg"

We found here 7 articles.