British+in+South+Africa

=**British in South Africa**=

Anglo Boers [1] & The Great Trek [2] ||= **1795 to 1994** British Imperial Policies ||= **1994** Independence ||= Events since independence ||
 * = ** Timeline ** ||
 * = **1795**  The landing of British at Cape Good Hope [3] ||=  **1835-1846**   **1880-1881**  Wars with the

**Population:** Britain was responsible for the transportation of 3.5 million African slaves to America. This was a third of all the slaves transported across the Atlantic. The trade of these slaves lead to the establishment of forts on the coast of West Africa, such as James Island, Accra and Bunce Island. In the British Caribbean, the African population rose from 25 percent in 1650 to about 80 percent in 1780, and in the 13 colonies it rose from 10 percent to 40 percent over the same period of time. For the slave traders, this was extremely profitable, and became a major economic gain for western British cities such as Liverpool and Bristol. During transportation, there were harsh and unhygienic conditions on the ships and also poor diets which meant that the average mortality rate of the slaves was one in seven. [4]

**Culture and Language:** Westerners from Britain monopolized resources, taking over mines and ports and using all profit gain to pay for their own government. They diminished the African ruling system, kicking out kings or telling them to govern a different way. Europeans did not provide general healthcare and limited the Africans’ access to education beyond basic level. This made it very difficult for Africans to function in the modern world. When the imperialists came to South Africa, they did not consider that they were destroying traditional territories and this ruined much of the unity within the Africans. [5] The reason why this happened was because Britain wanted more colonies outside of Europe to show that they are able to hold more global power than any other country. Another cause was because of Africa’s resources which included diamonds, gold, and slave labor. The third and one of the most important reasons was based on religion. They wanted to spread Christianity to the entire world and Africa was considered as one of the weakest countries, therefore it was easy to hit. [6] A few of the most important benefits of imperialism in South Africa was the development of infrastructure, advances in agriculture and mining, and the introduction of modern medicine. [7]

**Political Autonomy (Independence):** British pressured on the Dutch-speaking population of the South African Republic, which caused intense frustration of the south African population in the aftermath of industrialization. In seizing the diamond fields in Africa, the British destroyed many Boer land claims. The British’s harsh attitude towards South Africa’s population caused strain in there relationship and therefore caused a war. The war lasted from 1899-1902. Peace was finally concluded, when Alfred Milner a British colonial administrator drew up the terms. The Africans were to hand over all their arms and incorporate all there territories into an British empire. He made on significant term which was to give political power to the white population of Africa because he did not believe in political equality. Relations with the British and Africans were strained again when his terms were implemented because of the gold industry in south Africa taken by the British and the devastation of the war, the country was in economic depression for the first two decades of the twentieth century.

**Economic Well-being:** The economy in South Africa suffered a lot when the British invaded. When the British arrived they disparaged most human rights and land claims in South Africa. The South Africans suffered greatly when the British took over all of their natural resources. The economy was also greatly impacted when immigrants from China and other places came and took more jobs away from the indigenous population. The British did no good towards the South African population well-being.

In South Africa, historians use a term called mineral resources to relate to economic changes and industrialization. Since the discovery of minerals, South Africa’s economy has changed in such a rapid pace. Before the British colonies had thought of mining, they used Africa’s resources such as bauxite, coffee and sugar. Britain’s colonies grew drastically once they discovered diamonds and gold in the late 1860’s. They then decided to take control of the mining industry. In a short time, many nations became interested in the mining in South Africa and at that point made Africa more known. Once Africa became popular, many of the young African men began to work in the mines as slaves for the British Mining Companies. The men who worked in the mines then were given wages, but it was not significantly enough to support their family much less themselves and African citizens were never entitled profit for the minerals made in their mines. After some time, the diamond business was then owned exclusively by De Beers whose owner was Cecil Rhodes. Thanks to the minerals discovered in South Africa, their economy grew and so did the trading industry. If the British Colonial rule had not existed, it would have taken centuries before any discoveries would have be made. [8]
 * Land and Resources:**


 * References:**

[1]. Boer Wars**. (n.d.). // Wikipedia //. Retrieved April 4, 2012, from [|**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer_Wars**] [2]. British Imperialism in South Africa. (n.d.). // Blida Department of Enlgish: Free Stand to Stand Free //. Retrieved April 4, 2012, from [] [3]. Great Trek 1835-1846. (n.d.). // South African History Online //. Retrieved April 4, 2012, from [] [4]. British Empire. (n.d.). // Wikipedia //. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from [] [5]. What were the negative and positive effects on imperialism in South Africa? . (n.d.). // WikiAnswers //. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from [] [6]. What are the main causes and effects of British Imperialism in Africa? . (n.d.). //Yahoo! Answers//. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from [] [7]. What were the positive effects of imperialism in South Africa? . (n.d.). //Yahoo! Answers//. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from [] [8]. Background Note: South Africa. (n.d.). //U.S. Department of State.// Retrieved April 8, 2012, from []