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A* The Second Boer War Essay
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A* essay about the hostility of public opinion as the Boer War developed.
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'British public opinion became increasingly hostile as the Boer War developed'.How far do you agree with this statement? [20 Marks]
The South African War or the Second Boer War (1899-1902) was fought
against the British Army and the Boers, who were of Dutch origin and the first
descendants of European settlers. The discovery of gold in the 1880's sparked
an inrush of settlers but the distrust between president Paul Kruger and British
High Commissioner Sir Alfred Milner exacerbated tensions between the two,
that ultimately led to the beginning of the war. Public opinion became more
hostile towards the British government and their tactical approach to war which
sparked many changes in public attitude towards warfare because of the
knowledge of the inhumane treatment of the Zulu population. I will show this by
first looking at British public opinion towards the government at the beginning
of the war and then continue to look at the rise in public protests towards the
government as the war progressed. It is evident that public opinion became
more hostile as the war developed from the beginning of the war, which had a
moderate attitude, to the uprise in public protest against the war.
Extensive media coverage during this time was responsible for encouraging
positive attitudes towards the Boer War among the British public. The Boer
war was one of the first conflicts to have up to date news reportage and the
first time the public were able to see a clear picture. News reports reflected
and reinforced the jingoistic pro war attitudes of the public which were
characterised by the extreme belief that your country is always right in acting
positively. Newspapers and magazines published written reports of the acts
of individuals such as Churchill which echoed him as a 'minor hero' as he
rescued an ambushed train which made individuals have a positive attitude
towards the British involvement in South Africa. Popular publishers such as The
Daily Mail (set up in 1896) reflected imperialistic tones and was highly
influential upon public opinion. The frequent and positive news reports made the
public feel closer to the action of war and more involved with the expansion of
the British Empire, which was a proud feeling for the public. This illustrates
that the British public felt positively towards the governments approach to the
war which was influenced by pro-war media coverage. Although media coverage
was responsible for influencing positive perceptions at the beginning, it was also
responsible for making public opinion increasingly hostile towards the end of the
war due to the treatment of the local people by the British military with
government policies being implemented. Public opinion shifted when the press
reported conditions in the concentration camps. This was partly due to British
Peace activist, Emily Hobhouse , who was asked to join the South African
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