The Boer War ( ) and the Alaska Boundary Dispute (1903)

Imperialism What 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 War Map of South Africa, 1898

The Origins of the Boer War The war started in 1899 in South Africa It 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 War The 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 offensives The 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-Attack The British counter- offensive was initially a failure They suffered huge defeats such as the Battle of Spion Kop, where 8,000 Boers successfully defended their position against 30,000 British

British Counter-Attack The 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 War Soon, 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 Earth In 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 Camps The British then put the starving Boer non- combatants in concentration camps This included women and children They 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 1902 The Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 as a British dominion (like Canada) The Boers formed the most powerful voting block within the country In 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 Canada In Canada, many English Canadians supported the British Empire in the Boer War They 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 Canada Laurier 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 dispute Alaska 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 Dispute The 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 Solution A tribunal was created to solve the problem The 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.