Anglo Boer War

3254 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The consequences of the Boer war in South Africa

The Role of Women during the Anglo Boer War (1899-1902) ‘The Anglo Boer War remains the most terrible and destructive modern armed conflict in South Africa’s history. It was an event that in many ways shaped the history of the 20th Century South Africa. The end of the war marked the end of the long process of British conquest of South African societies, both Black and White'. (Gilliomee and Mbenga, 2007:). The impact of the 1899 – 1902 Anglo Boer War in South Africa upon the Afrikaner people has often been viewed as the defining feature of the bitter conflict. The Anglo Boer War was more than just a war that was powered by conflict between armies on the battlefield – it was a time that affected many women and children as they were confronted by massive upheaval and suffering. Women played a role in the Anglo Boer War that is often over-looked as historians tend to focus upon the war itself rather than the role women had to play in it. A historian, George McCall Theal, observed that the Anglo Boer War was no ordinary European-style conflict because the women were the fiercest advocates of the War to the bitter end. He concluded: ‘for independence, the Boer women will send husband and son after son to fight for the last’. (Bradford , 2013). Some Boer women preferred their husbands and sons’ to die rather than surrender this was partly due to the depth of religious faith in a male almighty. Boers were seen as the most prolific Bible readers in the world, the position of men and women in relation to God was not the same. Many women having been left by their male protectors moved their hope to an Almighty masculine deliverer. (Bradford, 2013:62) Anti-imperialist sentiment during the Anglo Boer War was significantly influenced by gen... ... middle of paper ... ... – most war memorials conform to the masculine stereotype of the warrior or hero. (Grundlingh, 2013). It is appropriate to quote Emily Hobhouse in noting the role of women in the Anglo Boer War that it was not just the living who had significant roles to play in the actual Anglo Boer War but the dead whose memories live on: ‘Your visible monument will serve to this great end- becoming an inspiration to all South Africans and to the women in particular. Generation after generation it will stand here pressing home in silent eloquence these great thoughts – In our hands and those of your children lie the power and freedom won; you must not merely maintain but increase the sacred gift. Be merciful towards the weak, the down-trodden, the stranger. Do not open your gates to those worst foes of freedom – tyranny and selfishness.’ (Grundlingh, 2013:255).

Show More
Related

  • Justification of the Canadian Participation in the Boer War

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    Justification of the Canadian Participation in the Boer War The storm of war never comes alone, as it bring along extreme tragedy. “In 1899, the whole country was electrified when heard about the Imperial request from Britain. ”[1] The Britain requested Canadians for help to defeat Boers in South Africa. This was the opportunity for Canada to demonstrate its importance in the British Empire and share in its military responsibilities but the “Canadian Prime Minister, Sir Wilfred Laurier, did not believe that Canada should be involved, but he faced growing agitation in English.

    Read More

  • The Korean War Veterans Memorial

    1693 Words  | 4 Pages

    The everyday bystander would not perceive the work of art the same as a veteran or loved ones of a veteran would. In a particular instance a woman, Kathleen Cronan Wyosnick, wrote a very heartfelt letter to Abigail VanBuren [Abby] who was the first honorary member elected to the Korean War Veterans Association and previously a newspaper columnist. On November 11th, 1988 Wyosnick wrote to VanBuren pleading to consider a special group of men and women who fought in the Korean War, which is better known as the “forgotten war”. Wyosnick described in her letter how she was a former Air Force nurse who had lost her husband in the Korean War, she wrote about how the war is described in nothing more than a few paragraphs in text books. She said the only media reminder to the public of the war is a television show “M*A*S*H”. Just eight months after they got married her husband was shot down in North Korea on his first combat mission, and she never had him returned to her. She asked where the reminder of those who gave their lives in Korea was. She also asked what the Korean War Veterans Association will do to ensure that the people who lost their lives are not forgotten. The response by Abby to the letter was a sending of the check and the publishing of Wyosnick’s letter. The American Battle Monuments Commission received more than 27,000 donations totaling

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Australian Society During World War II

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the World War II era, the outlook on the role of women in Australian society revolutionised. As a majority of men were at war, Australian women were encouraged to rise above and beyond their stereotypical ‘housewife’ status. They were required to take on the tasks that were once considered predominantly male roles, and also allowed the opportunity to join the armed services as well as enlist in the Women’s Land Army. Many women who doubted their abilities played their part by entering voluntary work. Women had the privilege of contributing in Australian society in many ways that they had never been able before. Thus, it is manifest that the role of women in Australian society had drastically changed.

    Read More

  • G.I. Jane: Women in the Marine Corp

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Roles for Women in WWII." State Library of Victoria. State Library of Victoria, n.d. Web. 8

    Read More

  • British Women In Ww2 Essay

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    the battlefield; however, after the war women resumed their previous roles, as house wives or jobs in domestic service, etc. (BBC UK)

    Read More

  • Regeneration by Pat Barker

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    The displacement of both women in the home front and men returning to the battle fields lead to changes in British society even after the war. As British society was force to adjust to these new roles it transitioned into an era which temporarily destabilized society which demanded a redefinition of the roles which men and women should play. Works Cited Baker, Pat. Regeneration. First Plume Printing, 1993.

    Read More

  • Essay On Masculinity In Ww1

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    These stereotypes of masculinity created a unified whole among men in the war, but seeing as women are equally capable of being soldiers it is questioned why predominantly only men engage in warfare. The answer can be simple, “the significance of men engaging in warfare lines is in the way that gender is constructed in war”. The role of the government and those promoting World War One efficiently vocalized the importance of the battlefield being a place where a man can show everyone he is capable of defending his country. “Ideal-typical notions of masculinity and femininity were key to this process” and although men and women may not always conform to the stereotypes of their gender, men are typically associated with strength, action and aggressing, comparing to the empathy and emotion of women. The use of masculinity within propaganda, the efforts of women using their femininity to promote enlistment and the unity formed among soldiers over sea all were factors that positively influenced masculinity among Canadian men.

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Capitalism, Slavery, Colonialism and Apartheid

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Saunders, C. (1988) The Making of the South African Past, Major Historians on Race and Class. Cape Town: David Phillip Publishers.

    Read More

  • Women of world War 2

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...loyment, economic battles, and stereotypical ways of life within the social order. Subsequent to the war, women had undergone through unfair compensation, loss of postwar employment, and the demands of returning to the old unchanged ways by government propaganda. As a result, these statements confirm that women are capable of great things, but their place in society were not positively affected by the end of the second war. By the end of the war there were 460,000 women in the military and 6.5 million in civilian work. Unfortunately it wasn't until the 1960s that any real, tangible change was seen for women. Without the contribution of women on the home front, there may have been no chance at winning the war. In the end, it seemed that the country disregarded that there once was a period when women were needed and were the main foundation for the country's triumph.

    Read More

  • Arthur Jarvis’ Recognition of Love

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Arthur Jarvis is extraordinary, for in his “Private Essay on the Evolution of a South African,” he admits that he knew nothing of South Africa. “From them [his parents] I learned all that a child should learn of honour and charity and generosity. But of South Africa I learned nothing at all.” (pg 207) As a young boy, he was blind and sheltered from the entirety and the truth of his so-beloved land. “One can read, as I read when I was a boy, the b...

    Read More

  • The Boer War and its Effects on the South African People

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nations constantly get put through tests and challenges. They can be as small and unaffecting, or they can be enormous and have physical and emotional injuries on the nation’s citizens. However, no matter the size, problems have consequences. The Boer War, a trifling affair that spans over a course of twenty-two years, 1880-1902, also known as the Transvaal War and the South African War, has good and bad everlasting effects on the people of South Africa by the deterioration of the Boers and Afrikaners and the forcefully implied English rule.

    Read More

  • The Lives of Women in Zimbabwe

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because African women were primarily responsible for agriculture and household subsistence in the countryside, they could identify with guerrilla claims that they were fighting for lost lands and an end to economic hardship(p.

    Read More

  • Boer War

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    This event involves imperialism, nationalism, militarism, economics, mercantilism, and geography. Imperialism is shown when the British and the Afrikaners were trying to conquer each other. Nationalism played a part in the Boer War because the people of both sides were willing to fight and stand up for their land. Militarism and mercantilism were involved because both Britain and the Afrikaners had to trade with other countries in order to build up their military and gain technology. Geography played a role in the war because Britain was fighting for land in order to expand their territories, while the Afrikaners were fighting to keep their land. Economics were involved because as a result of the Boer War Britain had to pay the Afrikaner soldiers a 3 million dollar indemnity, which was worth a lot more at that time then it is now.

    Read More

  • women in south africa

    1950 Words  | 4 Pages

    During apartheid in South Africa, the country was a collaboration of racism and sexism with the government striving day in and day out to keep the country in such a state. The gender discrimination in South Africa is deeply rooted in the ethnic traditions of the multi-cultural communities, as well as by the compliance of women themselves. Several culture’s values perceive women as inferior to men. Because of these cultural traditions, compliance, and the government, gender equality in South Africa has been an ongoing battle, and will continue to be throughout the twenty-first century. In Western terms, Africa has always been impoverished and thriving with conflict whether it be between tribes, between husband and wife, or between citizens and the government. However, most of the conflict involves the discrimination and oppression of women. My objective is about African women living in reserves and urban areas struggles in housing, employment, and education during the apartheid.

    Read More

  • The South African Educational System

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... African government, but there are still discreet forms of inequality out there. Ishaan Tharoor states “ Protesters at the University of Cape Town, one of Africa 's most prestigious universities, dropped a bucket of human excrement on a statue of Cecil Rhodes, the swaggering 19th-century British business magnate” (2015). This article that is most recent shows how black students still feel unwelcomed at the university, because of the racial identity. The statue represents when the British colonized South Africa, which further lead to the apartheid. By black students standing up for themselves reveals they are tired of seeing this statue of a man who is some-what responsible for encouraging apartheid. However, the racial barriers black students face in South Africa will continue to influence a change for equal educational opportunities, and maybe some day they will.

    Read More

More about Anglo Boer War

Open Document