In 1886, gold was discovered in the Transvaal region of South Africa, an area then populated mostly by Afrikaans speaking Boers, descendents of the original 17th century Dutch settlers. This discovery led only 13 years later to the Boer War, a conflict which changed forever the way Britain thought about its Empire.
Almost immediately after gold was discovered, the region was providing over 25% of the world's gold. (1) Seizing a chance to make millions, many a British entrepreneur invested in the gold mines, and by 1899, over two-thirds were owned by British stockholders. (2) While the gold mines immensely benefited the Boers, they were also seen as a blatant attempt to undermine their culture and way of life, as well as their autonomy. As the mines continued to become more and more prosperous, and as more and more British investments poured into the mines, relations between the Boers and the English, never cozy, became worse and worse. By October 1899, things had escalated to war. (3)
Both sides had anticipated an easy victory; both were disappointed. (4) The war dragged on for three years, with the British finally prevailing. This victory was, however, very much a pyrrhic one, as it resulted in a deflation of British imperialism. (5) The concept of the British Empire changed forever.
Initially, the Boer War led to fierce patriotism within Britain. (6) As the war dragged on, however, the public started to watch with horror Lord Kitchener's campaign, which to some, used "methods of barbarism." (7) At the same time, perhaps the nastiest political climate ever in the 20th Century began to form, with epithets such as "pro-Boer" far exceeding the level of a "pro-German" during any of the world wars. (8) This political climate was heightened by the Conservative Government's (under Marquess of Salisbury (9) ) decision in Autumn 1900, after a string of victories at the battlefield, to call a General Election. This was won by a resounding margin of 402 MPs to 184 for the Liberals, who found themselves split almost evenly between pro and anti-war factions. (10) This electoral strategy would be copied several times during the 20th Century with almost perfect results. (11)
