Second Boer War 2

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Second Boer war

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1899-1902

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What was the British Army like in 1899?

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-Not much different from the army in the crimea.
-Numbers had increased slightly
-Cardwells reforms had made it more efficient
-Much smaller than the conscript armies of the continental powers and man for man much more expensive
-life was a role call of drilling and cleaning.
-wore Khaki
- Lee Enfield magazine rifle
-Soldiers attracted by the promise of food and clothing.
-initiative was not encouraged- Trained in the old fashioned way, like that in the Battle of Waterloo.
-Royal army medical corps had been established more efficient organisation of medical support

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The regular Tommy

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Drawn from the lowest social classes.
-urban unemployed
-one shilling a day pay
-excluded from places i.e Seargants were asked to leave Haymarket theatre.

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Officer corps

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-although purchase of commision was abolished in 71 the officer corps still tended to come from the upper class
- you need an income to support yourself to be high ranking- to cover mess bills and social life

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Black Week

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Buller split army into 3
-one section sent to revlieve Kimberley
- One section to Natal
-One to Ladysmith

-All 3 battles were lost.
This was reported in great deal to the British public.
It was a considerable blow to power and prestige
Queen Victoria wrote- 'we are not interested in the possibility of defeat. It does not exist'.
-THE GOVERNMENT SOUGHT MASSIVE REINFORCEMENTS i.e ROBERTS AND KITCHENER

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Success in 1900

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-More reinforcements arrived
-Mounted infantry arrived
-Large numbers of Britions arrived and they were transported half way around the world quickly (a success in itself)
-Relieved Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith
-The British army was learning rapidly.
-Bulller showed competence in out manouvering his opponents.

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Unsuccesful in 1900

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-shortage of provisions and equipment
-Robert's army was hit by a serious outbreak of Typhoid which killed more troops than were killed by the Boers.

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FACT

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Robert's and Buller left in the autumn of 1900 and was succeded by Kichen who took over as commander in cheif in November.

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1901

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GEURILLA WARFARE (Boers attacked railways and supply lines. Attaked British settlements)
-Kitchener could not cope!
- The land was swept clear of food 'scorched earth policy'
farms were burnt and Boer women and children were forced into 'concentration camps'

-They were not intended to be 'concentration camps' as such they were meant to provide shelter and provisions but as Kitchener pushed through this policy the camps overflowed and conditions deteriorated.

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British Victory?

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Boer Commandos were worn down.
-Kitchener and his army were prepared to be more conciliatory than Milner
-British government agreed to pay 3 million pounds to the Boers in compensation
- The prospect of self government for the Transvaal and the Orange Free State was held out.
-Transvaal and Orange Free State became a part of the empire.
-it was a vicory but a VERY EXSPENSIVE one

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How were the sick and wounded treated?

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- lack of doctors
- epedemic of typhoid
- no milk
- hardly any medicines

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ROLE OF THE PRESS

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-Boer war coincided with a press revolution
-DAILY MAIL ALFRED HARMSWORTH
-unreservedly populist
- 'old fashioned tabloids served their news raw. Harmsworth served it cooked'.
-aim was to make money
-people appreciated a good hate
-stories written to provide spice and interest.
-Achieved astounding circulation figures
-war boosted newspaper sales

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Winston Churchil

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Hybrid- Serving officer and war correspondent
- Captured but made back to natal
- HIGH SALARY- displays how desperately people wanted the war to be covered.
- He wasn't perticularly censored as people tended to trust his judgement
- Highlighted the defficiencies of the British forces
- Churchill found Buller perticularly accomodating

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NEWSPAPERS

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Overwhelmingly in favour of the conflict
-They so much created the public opinion as reflected it.

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1901

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HIGH POINT OF PATRIOTIC ENTHUSIAM HAD PASSED
-people more willing to listen to pro-boers

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FACT

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Boers were appreciated by all as soldiers
-Churchil 'The individual boer, mounted in suitable country is worth 3-5 regular soldiers'

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FACT

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HIGH STANDARDS OF TRUTH WAS NOT ALWAYS MAINTAINED

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How extensive was the support for the war in Britain?

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- Ladysmith and Mafeking relieved > increased support
- wild outbursts of popular enthusiasm.
-Papers overwhelming in favour- increased the support as more and more people wanted to believe what they had read.
- Lloyd George tried to direct a pro-boer talk in Birmingham however he was asked to leave the stage as people began to throw things at him. They would not let him speak as they were singing, waving union jacks.

-David Lloyd George opposed the war (BIRMINGHAM)
-Historians have suggested that support was far greater among the middle rather than working classes
-Many believed it was morally wrong
-Irish nationalists supported the boers and rejoiced in the defeat of british forces.
-IMPACT OF CONCENTRATiON CAMPS - Emily Hobhouse, Fawcett Report
-CHINESE SLAVERY- paid less, worked in terrible conditions, treated inhumanely
-Turnout of Khaki election approx 75% can be argued indicates a lack of support throughout the working class

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what was the impact of the war on party politics?

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in 1900 the Conservative govt. under Lord Salisbury decided to cash in on the patriotic fever and called a general election.
-Chamberlain erged him to do this
-War had a devastating affect on the Liberal party.
split into 3 factions
those that supported the war (Asquith, Haldane), Those fiercely against the war- pro-boers i.e Lloyd George, and the group in the middle trying to keep the party together i.e the characterless sir Henry Campbell Bannerman

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Khaki election

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Won by Conservatives
-not as bigger majority as previously expected.
-Conservatives won 51% seats.
-London and Birmingham were strong Conservatives.

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Aftermath?

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-Committee of imperial defence set up- it was given much needed strategic direction to defence planning.
-Royal Commison- ESHER

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ESHER REPORT 1904

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The Esher Report of 1904, chaired by Lord Esher, recommended radical reform of the British Army, such as the creation of an Army Council, a General Staff and the abolition of the office of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces and the creation of a Chief of the General Staff, laid down the character of the Army which has endured.
the War Office was to be radically reorganised on rational grounds. The British Army had previously grown since 1660 not by grand design but through piecemeal additions and reforms. The administration inside the War Office was to be divided between the Chief of the General Staff, the Adjutant-General, the Quartermaster-General and the Master-General of the Ordnance. The Adjutant-General was given overall responsibility for the welfare and maintenance of the soldiers. Under him would be a Director of Recruiting and Organisation, a Director of Personal Services, a Director-General of Medical Services and a Director of Auxiliary Services
This rationalisation was recommended by the Report

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HALDANE REFORMS

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- worked closely with Haig to lay plans for the creation of the BEF
- Lee Enfield Magazine Rifle introduced
-Salisbury plain- more training
-old drill books destroyed and the army gained a new professionalism.
-Defined war office responsibilities
- KHAKI BECAME STANDARD
-still based around Cardwell's system of 69 local regiments.
- THE REFORM OF THE ARMY WAS A KEY DRIVE TOWARDS NATIONAL EFFICIENCY WHICH TOOK ON A BROADER MEANING THAN SIMPLY NATIONAL DEFENCE

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National Efficiency

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Centered on the competitiveness of British Industry, the quality of education and the health of the people.

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1906

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Liberal government won the general election
-kept their promise and introduced well needed reforms which helped promoted national efficiency

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1906 Reforms

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-Education Act 1906- Free school meals
-Medical inspection for children
- old age pensions

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Changing attitudes

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Changing Attitudes
For most of the 19th century people believed poverty was the individuals own fault. By 1900, opinion was changing.
People realised that poverty could be caused by many factors. They also felt that the government should give some help to the
poor instead of leaving it all to charity.

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Social Reformers

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Social Reformers
This change in attitude was partly because of the work of social reformers. They produced undeniable proof
of the scale of poverty in Britain. The most important reformers were:
· Charles Booth - he carried out research into poverty in London and published Life and Labour of the People in
London in seventeen volumes from 1889 to 1902. He found that nearly 31 % of Londoners were living in
poverty.
· Seebohm Rowntree - he studied poverty and its causes in York and published a report called Poverty: A study
of town life in 1901. He found that nearly 28% of the population of York were living in poverty.

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The Boer War

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The Boer War
In 1899 Britain went to war in South Africa. Half of those who volunteered to fight were unfit. Many had been so
badly fed as children that they had not grown properly. This worried the government. Unless something was done
Britain would not have a strong army to defend its interests.

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Politics

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Politics
Political factors also help to explain why the Liberals brought reforms in.
Individuals - Two leading Liberal politicians, David Lloyd-George and Winston Churchill, believed strongly in
reform. They believed social reform would make the people better off and the country stronger as a result.
Rivalry with Labour - In 1906 the newly formed Labour Party did well in the general election. The Liberals wanted
to win over ordinary people with their reforms, so that they would vote Liberal and not Labour

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How did the war change attitudes to Empire and Imperialism? POSITIVE

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on the one hand the struggle can be seen as stimulating patriotism and pride in the empire i.e when Ladysmith and Mafeking were relieved.
-Eton School master wrote second national anthem
-'Boy's own paper' and 'Union Jack' fed people a diet of nationalism wedded to decency and pride in the British Empire as a force for good.
-Children's author Henty patriotic tales shaped childrens view of the Empire.
-Poetry of Newbolt- patriotic verse
-Boy Scouts- Powell
-Chamberlain felt that the Boer war offered new opportunities to strenghthen the empire i.e Tarrif reform HOWEVER, this back fired and contributed to the damning defeat in the election in 1906.

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How did the war change attitudes to Empire and Imperialism? NEGATIVE

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Hobson- published a highly influential book in 1902
-Imperialism was a by product of capitalism- this was adopted by Lenin!
-The Empire bought benefits to the few and harmed the interests of many
- The influenced the electoral sea change in 1906.
-Chinese Slavery scandal- known as 'coolies'- cheap labour, treated terribly, low wages, isolated from the local population. This caused UPROAR in Britain.