Mothra vs. Rodan. Mickey Mouse vs. Godzilla. What we're really talking about is the Boer War (2)

We were speaking, Dear Reader, of the Boer War....

What about the Boer War? Sh&t.  Excuse me, the Second Boer War.  How did it start, and why has it been forgotten?  Did you know that the English imprisoned hundreds of Boer men, women, and children in what could only be called concentration camps? Goddamn--it must have been a real fashion of the early twentieth century.

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Alright.  Let's take a wee look at the conflict.

The Second Boer War took place in South Africa, at the beginning of the 20th century.  South Africa.  Why would that less-than-arable land be so desirable? 

Huh.  How about this:

K

Not this:

Oh, yeah, there was also this:

Which becomes this:

And, eventually, this:

NOT this:

If you want to see a good timeline of the entire Anglo-Boer War conflict, go here:  https://www.boerwararchive.com/timeline/

If you followed the link, you'd know that this was a complicated and lengthy conflict between two colonizing European nations.  Given the mineral resources of the region, it's no surprise, is it, that two predominantly white populations wanted considerable potential wealth.  Sigh.  What an old, boring story it is.  Of course the native population of what would be called South Africa was immediately treated like sh&t, just as soon as the Europeans arrived.  Wow, what a total shocker.

Okay, so what did South Africa 'look like' prior to this colonial conflict?

Alright, so we've got German, Dutch, and the British, uneasily dwelling together in this space, and then those pesky Europeans find gold and diamonds.  Of course the Europeans immediately worked humanely with the local tribes, and left the African landscape alone, for their respect for Mother Earth was deep, and riches meant nothing to them

OK OK.  I'm totally f*&(ing with you.  Actually you'd be hard pressed to find two more vicious colonizing powers than the Dutch or the British.  Their lack of either humanity, decency, and empathy was virtually non-existent.  Oh! And we cannot neglect to mention the Europeans' utter xenophobia.

Let's begin.

The conflict began round or about October 11, 1899.  Remember, Dear Reader, that no war or "police action" (sh*t I hate that term.  Did you know that on the graves of Vietnam vets buried in Arlington National Cemetery?) ever has one date where it begins.  War is sloppy that way.

It began following the aforementioned day, when the Boers in the region issued a general order to the British to halt their military from expanding in the area.  Further, the Boer leadership denied British colonists from holding any political rights.  For example, the Boers always referred to the English as "uttlanders", or outlanders.  

And let us not forget that the effect of European settlement on various groups of the native population was disastrous.  I hope that we never forget what this racism evolved into:  Apartheid.  So, you know that the white colonists in this region were not fluffy bunny rabbits, but rather more like a tribe of Orcs.

The war ended in 1902, but the space between those years was brutal.  First off, one must understand the nature of the conflict:  it was primarily a guerilla war, and the Boers were both brutal and effective.  I guess the British forgot their experience in 1776, where they got their ass kicked by those pesky American rebels.

I just love that scene, it's stupid AND horrible.  Hey! Let's wear scarlet uniforms in the middle of a forest!  We're not gonna stand out, NO WAY!

I suppose the war began when the British wanted to annex all of the territories in South Africa, i.e the Boer republics:  the Orange Free State and the Transvaal (a.k.a. the South African Republic).  You know, I'd like to define what the Boer were:

Boer:

a member of the Dutch and Huguenot population that settled in southern Africa in the late 17th century.

OED

But the Boers weren't really down with the wishes of the British.  Gold was discovered in 1886, and the English flocked to Southern Africa, creating a problem.  The British were never very good at sharing anything, and these lands were no exception.  

One of the main problems with the conflict over South Africa, was each sides attitudes of superiority;  the British thought they were the best culture on Earth, and the Boers thought they were the bees knees.  

The war was made up of a long series of small battles, so it's a little difficult to isolate one single part of this conflict, because it was messy, and both sides committed atrocities.  And, once again, the British Army didn't immediate decimate their enemy, who numbered 88,000, to the English 400,000.

Wow.  Those red-coats were some effective warriors, but they sure had scarlet uniforms.  Now bearing in mind the relative sizes of both armies, the numbers are still kind of staggering:  22,000 for the Boers, vs. 120,000 for the British.

One of the ghastly aspects of war has to be slaughter of the civilian population.  For those supporting the Boer soldiers, approximately 46,000 civilians died (including native Africans), to the British 22,000.  Now, these figures are approximate at best.  It was an international conflict:  Canada, Australian, and even a few Americans were involved, and we must not forget the African tribes who fought and died for white men, such as the Zulu.  Never a good idea to fight for the umlungu (Zulu for whites).  

Both sides committed atrocities, and both sides regarded the African as something less-than-human.

Even more than killing humans, are other kinds of crimes.  Probably one of the most devastating aspects of the war were the concentration camps, in which Boer women and children were held in terrible conditions, by the British.  And this is where we have to bring in Emily Hobhouse, but that's for next time.