The Boer War

1. The Boer War S5/6 Cradle to the Grave

2. What you will learn • Why the Boer War worried people in Britain • The beginnings of social reform

3. The Boer War • In 1899 war broke out between the powerful British Empire and the Boer Republics in South Africa • The British thought the war would be over quickly • However, Boer forces proved to well-trained, well-equipped and well led. • The war dragged on for 3 years • Eventually, Britain used 400,000 troops to defeat Boer forces that totalled 35,000 • The war was a great shock to British confidence • In Britain people searched for answers as to why it had taken 3 years for professional soldiers to defeat a force of Boer farmers

5. Blame? • The quality of the soliders was blamed for the poor British performance in the war • In some towns as many as nine out of ten recruits for the army were rejected because they were so unfit

6. For example In the Manchester district 11,000 men offered themselves for war service between the outbreak of hostilities in October 1899 and July 1900. Of this number 8000 were found to be physically unfit to carry a rifle and stand fatigues of discipline. Of the 3000 who were accepted only 1200 attained the moderate standard of muscular power and chest measurement required by the military authorities. In other words, two out of every three men willing to bear arms in the Manchester district are virtually invalids. Source A Arnold White speaks abou the numbers of recruits rejected in Manchester

7. Worries • Such figures were worrying for a large Empire • Implied an unfit workforce as well as an unfit army • No wonder British army had performed so badly in South Africa and other countries were overtaking Britain in economic growth • White blamed the conditions in Britain’s towns – conditions produced an unfit population • Such views were common at the this time

8. …contd • Importantly, the Boer War was even further evidence that Britain was not doing enough to help the poorer in society • People like Arnold White argued that the poor British economic performance and the Boer War were proof of British decline • These views were also common • One way of resolving this problem was to argue for social reforms

9. Social Reforms • Social reforms aim to make gradual changes to certain aspects of society • Social reform would make for a healthy population, which was more efficient as a workforce and as soldiers • This is often termed as arguing for National Efficiency

10. Impact • One of the results fo the Boer War was the setting up of a specially appointed Committee on Physical Deterioration. • This was set up in 1903 to ask why so amny army recruits were rejected because of their health • The Committee reported in 1904 that they had found no evidence of long-term physical deterioration of the population in Britain, but they made recommendations including medical inspection of children in schools, free school meals for the very poor and training in mother craft

11. …contd • These conclusions were very important in the future Liberal Reforms • Some historians suggets that the importance of the Boer War is huge • Eric Evans (historian) Arguably, the single most important precondition for the spate of social reforms between 1905 and 1914 was fear of the consequences of an unfit and debilitated population

12. Tasks • Read through pages 27-31 in Green booklets • Answer question under heading Intermediate 1 only • Answer in sentences • Use the stem of the question to start your answer