Boer War [Paperback]

Denis Judd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2003

The Boer War was an epic both of heroism and bungling, cunning and barbarism. It had an extraordinary cast of characters - not only leading men like Churchill, Kruger, Rhodes and Kitchener, but minor characters from Conan Doyle and Kipling to Gandhi, Chief Dinizulu and Hector "Fighting Mac" MacDonald. The war revealed the ineptitude of the British military, and unexpectedly exposed the corrupt underside of imperialism - in for instance the shooting of Boer prisoners of war by "Breaker" Morant, and the embezzlement of military supplies by British officers. It is also claimed that Baden-Powell let Africans starve during the Siege of Mafeking, and it is likely that Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain profited from arms sales in a war many believe he himself had plotted. This book presents a fresh view of the war and debunks several myths. There was not, for instance, a straightforward divide between Boers and the British - many Boers fought on the British side, and many British were strongly pro-Boer, denouncing their own side's "methods of barbarism". In fact, in the history of the two communitites, the war was an uncharacteristic collision of interests, though it led to long-standing resentments. The overriding aim of both was to maintain European supremacy and to keep Africans and Indians in their place. The sensitivity the British displayed to the Afrikaner volk in the peace treaty is evidence of this. So in fact is the continued division of power and spoils that lasted until the end of the Apartheid era.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This immensely readable book ... provides a fine panoramic vision. The deeper meaning of the war is now clear." -- Robert Giddings, Tribune Judd and Surridge add a new angle ... they conclude that the war acted as a kind of boil-lancing which enabled the two white races to march forward hand-in-hand on he road to Apartheid ... The British won the war only in the technical, constitutional sense ... The Boers won the peace. They created a new South Africa on their terms." -- Jane Ridley, The Spectator "An impressive history ... written to a high standard with undoubted scholarship." -- Andrew Roberts, Sunday Telegraph

About the Author

Denis Judd is Professor of Imperial and Commonwealth History at London Metropolitan University and most recently the author of 'Empire: The British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present'. He wrote two BBC radio programmes on the Boer War to mark the centenary of its outbreak. Dr Keith Surridge teaches at Queen Mary College, London and Notre Dame University and is the author of 'Managing the South African War 1899-1902'. Both live in London

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: John Murray (June 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719561698
• ISBN-13: 978-0719561696
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,922,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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