🌟The relationship between the two British colonies of Natal and Cape Colony and the two independent Boer states of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State had long been unfriendly.
🌟The discovery of gold in Transvaal ,in 1886 ,led to large numbers of British miners settling in and around Johannesburg.
🌟The Boers hated these people whom they referred to as Uitlanders.
🌟The Boers taxed them heavily apart from denying political rights.
🌟The question was whether the British or the Boers were to be Supreme in South Africa.
🌟Fearing attacks from the British, the Boers armed themselves and decided to attack.
🌟The Boer War lasted for three years,1899 – 1902.
🌟Initially, the Boers were successful.But by the first half of 1900,the Boer army was defeated.
🌟Pretoria was occupied.
🌟The Boers took to guerrilla fighting.
🌟In retaliation the British destroyed farms and crops.
🌟They set up internment camps for Boer women and children. Shortage of food,medical and sanitary facilities caused the death of 26,000 people.
🌟The British annexed the two Boer states. Boers were however promised self-government in due course.
🌟In 1907 full responsible government was given to the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
🌟The four states formed into a union and the South Africa Act passed by the British Parliament in 1909 provided for a Union Parliament at Cape Town.
The Union of South Af6came into being in May 1910.
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