XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Southern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
British expansion in Southern Africa between 1871 and 1881 combined territorial annexation, labour policies, mineral interests, and efforts to impose a subordinate federation of colonies and republics. The process included the annexation of Griqualand West and the Transvaal, intervention against African states, the Anglo-Zulu War, and conflicts that ultimately destroyed the federation project. Economic demands for African labour were presented as a major force behind imperial policy.
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Le récit
British expansion in Southern Africa intensified after the annexation of Griqualand West and the diamond fields in 1871. The growth of mineral extraction increased British demand for African labour, while African kingdoms and Boer republics retained forms of independence and economic self-sufficiency that limited labour supplies. The excerpt presents these pressures as central to the changing direction of British imperial policy in the subcontinent.
Between 1871 and 1874, the British government sought to secure a federation of South African states through persuasion. Lord Carnarvon revived the policy in 1875 after disputes over the diamond fields, labour shortages, territorial conflicts, and the Langalibalele uprising exposed the weakness of the separate white governments. Conferences failed because the Cape Colony and the republics rejected imperial interference or refused to surrender their independence.
British policy then became more coercive. The Transvaal was annexed in April 1877, while Sir Bartle Frere pursued the subordination of African societies and used the Zululand border dispute to provoke war. The invasion of Zululand in 1879, followed by the Anglo-Boer War and the Cape-Lesotho War in 1880–1881, helped destroy the federation scheme rather than realize it.
The economic interpretation emphasized by the passage links imperial expansion to industrial Britain’s demand for labour, markets, mineral wealth, and secure transport corridors. It also argues that both African kingdoms and Boer republics were targeted because they obstructed labour mobility or could not serve as reliable collaborators. The resulting political order was therefore marked by conquest, annexation, and the restructuring of African societies.
XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Southern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
British expansion in Southern Africa between 1871 and 1881 combined territorial annexation, labour policies, mineral interests, and efforts to impose a subordinate federation of colonies and republics. The process included the annexation of Griqualand West and the Transvaal, intervention against African states, the Anglo-Zulu War, and conflicts that ultimately destroyed the federation project. Economic demands for African labour were presented as a major force behind imperial policy.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
British expansion in Southern Africa intensified after the annexation of Griqualand West and the diamond fields in 1871. The growth of mineral extraction increased British demand for African labour, while African kingdoms and Boer republics retained forms of independence and economic self-sufficiency that limited labour supplies. The excerpt presents these pressures as central to the changing direction of British imperial policy in the subcontinent.
Between 1871 and 1874, the British government sought to secure a federation of South African states through persuasion. Lord Carnarvon revived the policy in 1875 after disputes over the diamond fields, labour shortages, territorial conflicts, and the Langalibalele uprising exposed the weakness of the separate white governments. Conferences failed because the Cape Colony and the republics rejected imperial interference or refused to surrender their independence.
British policy then became more coercive. The Transvaal was annexed in April 1877, while Sir Bartle Frere pursued the subordination of African societies and used the Zululand border dispute to provoke war. The invasion of Zululand in 1879, followed by the Anglo-Boer War and the Cape-Lesotho War in 1880–1881, helped destroy the federation scheme rather than realize it.
The economic interpretation emphasized by the passage links imperial expansion to industrial Britain’s demand for labour, markets, mineral wealth, and secure transport corridors. It also argues that both African kingdoms and Boer republics were targeted because they obstructed labour mobility or could not serve as reliable collaborators. The resulting political order was therefore marked by conquest, annexation, and the restructuring of African societies.
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