Summary
When the Boer War between the British Empire and the white-controlled South African republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State erupted in October 1899 over independence and mining rights, both sides expected that the fighting would be over by Christmas. Little could either the British or the Boers—the republics' mostly Dutch-descended inhabitants—have dreamed that the three-year war would claim the lives of some 30,000 soldiers and 48,000 noncombatants. The Boer War was not only Britain's bloodiest in more than a century, but also its most controversial, particularly because of the British army's tactics of burning homes and farms and imprisoning civilians in concentration camps.
Illustrated with full-color and black-and-white photographs, and accompanied by a chronology, bibliography, and further resources, The Boer War, Updated Edition, provides a clear and comprehensive account of this major turning point in British and South African history. Historical spotlights and excerpts from primary source documents are also included.
About the Author(s)
LOUISE CHIPLEY SLAVICEK received her master's degree in American history from the University of Connecticut. She has written numerous books for young people, including Women of the American Revolution and for Chelsea House, The Great Wall of China, Carlos Santana, The Treaty of Versailles, and Paul Robeson. She lives in central Ohio with her husband.