South Africa: Colonization
Allie Koplan
Period 7
South Africa: Colonization
The colonization of South Africa took place in the early 1800s by the British. Originally, South Africa was discovered by the Portuguese in 1488. This, unlike the Dutch settlement in 1652, was not permanent. Final colonization was taken over by the British which also began a large conflict with the Dutch, or the Boers, and the English. In 1881, the Dutch had a successful revolt against the British given a measure of self-governing in return. After a large discovery of gold, the Boer War occurred from 1899-1902 won by the British(South Africa: History). “This resulted in the Treaty of Vereeniging established the Orange Free State and the Transvaal as British colonies” (South Africa: History). The top resources used by the British which was native to South Africa was gold.
The South African Natives were treated with disrespect beacuse they had limited governmental rights(South Africa: History). Governing the parliamentary system was the fist prime minister, Louis Botha. The parliamentary system excluded black South Africans. “Coloureds” were individuals of mixed races were given limited political rights. thanks to Mohandas Gandhi, the Indians secured some rights prior to World War I. After World War I, :the growth of mining and manufacturing transformed the nation into a significant industrial power”(South Africa: History).
An example of somebody who was effected by the colonization of South Africa is Jan Christiaan Smuts. He was Louis Botha’s successor after Botha died in 1919. Jan Christiaan Smuts was a military commander who was considered “Pro-British” by the Boers. He was impacted because he was the next Prime minister of South Africa until 1924.
Annotated Bibliography
Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students. John Middleton, Ed. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 968 pp. 4 vols.
This resource helped me with finding the basic dates of colonization. It also helped with the names of the different people involved.
"Background Note: South Africa." U.S Department Of State. Mar. 2009. 29 Mar. 2009 <http://www.state.gov/>.
This cite helped me with the overall history of South Africa, including important people, resources, dates and events that helped take part in the colonization of South Africa.
"South Africa: History." World Geography. 2009. ABC-CLIO. 4 May 2009 <http://
www.worldgeography.abc-clio.com>.
This cite helped me with the basic background information about South Africa including the resources used by natives.
Last updated by Allie Koplan, May 22, 2009
