Paul Kruger and the Anglo-Boer War | Paul Kruger and the Anglo-Boer War

For many years the British sought unification of South Africa under their reign and the Dutch-Afrikaners fled and occupied their own Transvaal and the Orange Free State republics. Paul Kruger, who was the president of Transvaal for four terms, had a life and a history that took place throughout the tensions that existed in the nation from 1814-1914. The pretensions and conflicts of the Anglo-Boer war took place over most of Kruger's life, and because of his fixed hatred for foreigners, mistreatment led to the Jameson Raid, which was one of the major triggers of the war.

"The Great Trek", which occurred from 1835 to the 1840's, took place during Paul's childhood and lead him to a state of rebelliousness and strong leadership. At this age, he had already had a reputation as a fighter. In 1814, the British gained control over the Cape of Good Hope, and this gave way to an early rise to conflict between the British and Dutch-Afrikaners. The Boers of Dutch, Huguenot, and German descent had first settled in the area around 1652, but the British were capable of seizing control over the area after numerous, earlier invasions. When this occurred however, the Dutch-Afrikaners were defiant and refused to succumb to foreign rule. Consequentially, after their emancipation from the British in 1835, a group of 10,000 Boers, or Dutch-Afrikaners, held a massive migration towards Natal and the east coast of South Africa known as "the Great Trek", and left the Cape. While the Great Trek lasted merely from 1835 to the 1840's, it held a significant impact on the population as the voortrekkers (pioneers) represented the independent will of the Dutch-Afrikaners. Later the republics Natal, Transvaal (South African Republic) and the Orange Free States were established. They were diverse cultures with contrasting ideals and thus tensions triggered between the two groups that hadn't earlier existed. Even in Paul's youth, he was forced endure the hardships of a mass movement and influences from the company he was keeping that allowed Paul to become such an impressive leader. "There were no luxuries, some disappointments and many risks." His mother died in 1831 when he was merely six years old, leaving behind a family of six children to care for. While Paul's father, Caspar had married again; the stepmother also bore a great number of offspring, thus leaving Paul a truly insignificant figure in the family. While the Kruger family hadn't been directly affect by British rule, following the exodus of the Dutch-Afrikaners had altered Paul's path completely. Although he may have been young, Paul had already been in the disposition of pursing a life of freedom, liberty, and most of all independence.

Since Paul was born in 1825, only ten years before the Trek began, he was compelled to develop leadership skills that would make him a very important to his community, even at such a young age. While growing up during a period of conflict, Paul was still able to successfully establish himself in the region as a skilled hunter and worker. The first lion he killed was at the age the age of 14, and it had been one that had been terrorizing the cattle near the bank of the Rhenoster River. When trekkers reached their destination of the Orange River, which is the naturally occurring boundary between the Orange Free States and the Cape Colony, they began to ford across, but some even after reaching their new territory continued to pay the British taxes. These unfavorable circumstances had caused the Boers to take a step that would completely shift their place in South Africa as well as their history. After this, the Boers resolved to separate themselves from all influences and authority other then their own. Piet Retief, who was one of the early votrekkers published in the manifesto, "we leave the colony, under the firm assurance that the English Government has nothing more to require of us and will allow us in the future to govern ourselves without further hindrance." With that came the great migration of a third of the colony.

Even after his unsuccessful ranking as a military adviser for the country, Paul returned as a leader after the Cape Colony, lead by the British, successfully annexed the country in 1877. British dominance evoked further opposition between themselves and the Boers as they were constantly trying to gain power by pursuing their beliefs in imperialism. For example in 1843 Natal had become a British colony, and the Transvaal territories began to reform in the late 1850's when the British endeavored to annex the republic and did so in 1877. Paul Kruger had returned to politics that same years and played a substantial role, by rallying resistance and negotiating independence and the South African Republic's (Transvaal's) independence was restored in 1881 due to substantial Afrikaner rebellion. Not surprisingly he was elected for president in 1883 after the country's declaration of peace. As we can see the British had been struggling to gain complete domination over South Africa since their arrival in 1814. The Dutch-Afrikaners were in no opposition and be subservient to the British's command and thus hostility remains and increased between the already dissimilar groups. Paul, being the leader of the Boers, felt nothing but loathing for the British, whom he felt were trying to steal their land and make the natives submissive to their control. Therefore, it was his will that drove him remain resistant to their confrontations.

President Paul Kruger, now running his established domain, generated further disputes in his approach to the unearthing of gold in the area in 1884. With the advent of gold, an influx of miners and prospectors were so drawn to the area that the population began to increase dramatically. By 1886 tents and sheet iron houses were set all over the area and the population had amassed to proportions that obliged the government to "mark off a township", an area that they called Johannesburg. At this time many of the Uitlanders, which are neither of full European or Dutch-Afrikaner descent, flew to this area at the potential of sticking rich. In the nation, the Uitlanders were view intolerably by the natives, as they were merely foreigners that didn't deserve their place in the land. At this time, their population had reach about 100,000 and they outnumbered the Boers three to one. Kruger demonstrated his abhorrence to these people by denying them rights of a true citizen. When they came to the area they were heavily taxes, denied any voting rights and thus their mistreatment caused the Utilanders to be furious Paul and his government. Negotiations between the Afrikaans and the Utilanders were unsuccessful and opposition had not subsided and because of Paul's absorbed will, and stubborn attitude at maintaining authority, a revolt was imminent.

Due to Kruger's ill treatment and spite for these Utilanders, Cecil Rhodes was able to launch a revolt that would be a primary trigger for the Anglo-Boer war. Kruger shared rivalry with Rhodes, as they were known as the, "great rivals in the pursuit of racial power." Incapability of obtaining peace through negotiations with Rhodes and the mismanagement of the Utilanders had set the stage for the Jameson Raid. In the summer of 1885 reformers began to feel that there was no other option then to a revolt against Kruger's governmental system. Even the rich capitalist had attempted negotiations that also ended up being abortive and an utter waste of time. They felt Kruger was "slim" or in other words too distant to reach and the Utilanders joined forces with the British forming the Nationalist Union. In doing so Cecil Rhodes, the zealously ambition colonist whom at the time was Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, was able to instigate a revolt against the Afrikaner's governmental system. Rhodes desired nothing more then the downfall of the Dutch-Afrikaners and for all of South Africa to fall under the rule of the British Empire. This rebellion was known as the "Jameson Raid", as Leander Starr Jameson, who was friend and ally of Rhodes, gathered a group of 600 armed British men in attempted to aid the Utilanders in their revolt against Paul Kruger. Although the raid had failed miserably, their efforts had not gone to waste, as it seemed to convince many of the Dutch-Afrikaans just how determined the British were to steal their independence.

In conclusion, Kruger, distressed by the raid and determination of the British to take over Transvaal, issued an ultimatum commanding the British to withdraw and after their refusal to do so the Boers declared war on October 11th 1889. It was devastating war, involving the military forces of 22,000 British soldiers and 25,000 Boer warriors and lasting until January 1902. The Treaty of Vereeniging provided a permanent end to the conflict and settlement of aggression between the two groups as the Orange Free States and Transvaal Territories were finally allowed to govern themselves. Paul Kruger had in fact played a substantial role throughout the war, as he resolved to keep his people free from British rule. His hatred for Cecil Rhodes and for the Uitlanders triggered the war that helped his state finally win its independence.