International RelationsThe South African/Boer War

British Subjects:

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the majority of Canadians were of British decent

Many felt a strong kinship to Great Britain

Canadians were British subjects and an important part of their world empire

Canada and the British Empire

Canadiens

French Canadians felt no such connection to the British or its empire

They had been isolated from Europe since before the British “Conquest” beginning in 1759

Imperial EntanglementsThough Canada was a self-governing dominion within the British Empire, there was danger of getting caught up in conflicts with little or nothing to do with Canada

A global empire had to maintain itself against:

Rebels

Other imperial powers

The South African War 1899-1902

Also known as the Boer War

Was the first time Canada officially dispatched troops to an overseas war

Boer War: Origins

In 1899 fighting erupted between Great Britain and the Boers

The Boers (or Afrikaaners) were descendants of early Dutch settlers and had won the right to self-government (under British rule) in Southern Africa

Boer War: Origins

In 1885 gold is discovered in Transvaal, one of the Boer republics

British investors flooded in and the Boers restricted their rights

Investors and British residents of the Transvaal hoped Britain would intervene

Boer War: Origins

In 1895, a British businessman Cecil Rhodes financed an attempt to seize control of the Transvaal during the “Jamestown Raid”

It failed, but the Boers feared the British would try again, possibly with the help of the British army

Anglo-Boer War

In 1899, fearing the British were seeking war, the Boers attacked and forced the British to suffer a number of setbacks

Canada’s Role

Britain called on the Empire for help

PM Laurier is torn between two impossible positions:

1. Support Britain and lose all support in Quebec

2. Avoid committing Canada and enrage British/English Canada

Laurier’s Compromise

Laurier agreed to send volunteers, providing that Britain paid their expenses

7,000 Canadian soldiers (including 12 female nurses) served in Southern Africa over a 3 year period

War Continues

In 1900 the tide of battle turned, British forces took control of most Boer territories

The superior British military forced the Boers to turn to guerrilla tactics (war of ambush and retreat)

The British eventually defeated the Boers by not allowing sympathetic farmers to give them food, water, or lodging

They moved civilians to internment camps, and burned Boer houses and farms

Opposition to the WarOpposition to the war in Canada was strongest in Quebec

Henri Bourassa, a former Laurier supporter and Liberal MP, resigned over the war and was re-elected as an independent

In his newspaper “Le Devoid” he opposed the war and argues for a nationalist policy for the country

Results

The war ended with the Treaty of Veeriningen

A direct result of the war was the founding of South Africa- a country that would be dominated by the large Boer population

Canadian soldiers fought bravely and were commended for their abilities

267 Canadians were killed in the Boer War