The Boer War (1899-1902) and the Alaska Boundary Dispute (1903)

ImperialismWhat is Imperialism? It is

the process of one nation extending its rule over other regions and nations

In 1900, most of the world (including Canada) was ruled by a few European empires such as Britain, France, Russia and Germany

Nations such as Canada, Sweden, Mongolia and Switzerland would not be considered empires, because they have not expanded their territories onto other peoples

The Boer WarMap of South Africa, 1898

The Origins of the Boer War The war started in 1899

in South AfricaIt was between the

British and the Boers (also called Afrikaners), who were descended from Dutch settlers in South Africa

The British had made previous attempts to conquer the Boers, and they encouraged settlers to move to the Boer republics

The Beginning of the Boer WarThe war started

because the Boers did not give rights to British settlers who were mining for gold in the Boer republics

When the British demanded rights for their settlers, Boer President Paul Kruger responded by declaring war

Boer offensivesThe Boers were

initially very successful against the British

They were effective fighters because of their experience hunting and fighting black Africans

They besieged several British forts

Boer Success The Boers were

successful early in the war because they used their gold wealth to buy modern weapons from Germany such as howitzer artillery, machine guns and Mauser rifles

The Boers used cover during battles, while the British lined up

British Counter-AttackThe British counter-

offensive was initially a failureThey suffered huge

defeats such as the Battle of Spion Kop, where 8,000 Boers successfully defended their position against 30,000 British

British Counter-AttackThe Boers were soon

overwhelmed by the number of men and supplies the British Empire was sending, including 7,300 volunteers from Canada

The British adapted their uniforms and tactics to better suit the war

Guerilla WarSoon, Boer cities

were being captured, and the Boer armies had to retreat into the hills to fight a guerilla war

The British had difficulty defeating the Boer guerillas

Scorched EarthIn an attempt to cut off

the Boers soldier’s food supplies, the British began destroying Boer farms

They often burned the houses, killed the farm animals and burned the crops

In some cases, they would put salt in their fields, so crops could not grow again

This caused the civilians to starve

Concentration CampsThe British then put

the starving Boer non-combatants in concentration campsThis included women

and childrenThey said it was a

humanitarian move The camps were

poorly organized and approximately 27,000 Boers died in them

End of the War The Boer republics finally surrendered in 1902The Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 as

a British dominion (like Canada)The Boers formed the most powerful voting block

within the countryIn 1948, they formed the Apartheid, a system of

government which introduced racist policies against minorities

This caused South Africa to get kicked out of the British Empire and become a republic

The Apartheid fell apart in the 1990’s and South Africa is now ruled by a black majority

The Boer War’s Effect on CanadaIn Canada, many English

Canadians supported the British Empire in the Boer WarThey were called

Imperialists because they wanted close relations with Britain

French Canadians were against the war, and sympathized with the Boers They were called

Nationalists because they wanted more independence from Britain

Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier decided on a compromise

The Effects of the Boer War in CanadaLaurier decided that

Canada would equip and send volunteers to South Africa, but that they would fight as part of the British forces

This greatly angered the French Canadians and caused prominent Liberal Henri Bourassa to quit the party

Overall Canada sent 7,300 volunteers, at a cost of $3 million

The Alaska Panhandle disputeAlaska was bought

from Russia by the USA in 1867

The boundaries of the Alaskan Panhandle in southern Alaska had not been surveyed by either the Russians or the British because the area was not of strategic importance

The Alaska Pandandle DisputeThe Klondike Gold

Rush of 1898 caused many miners to pass through Skagway to the Yukon

The importance of the panhandle increased and the Americans and Canadians began to argue whether Skagway was Canadian or American

The SolutionA tribunal was created to solve

the problemThe tribunal contained 3

American, 2 Canadian and 1 British judge

The British judge sided with the Americans because the British wanted American friendship

Many Canadians became angry at Britain for the betrayal

This sparked more Nationalism, which is a feeling of devotion and loyalty to one’s state.