Post on 27-Dec-2015
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.