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Anc Liberation Movement

Britain became the pre-eminent power in South Africa due to waning Dutch mercantile power. The British annexed the Cape Colony in 1795, motivated by the desire to cut Napoleon from his colonies and to control the vital sea route (Clark and Worger 2004: 12). However, by the 1830s the Boers (Dutch for farmer) were becoming increasingly frustrated with British rule (Clark and Worger 2004: 12). The breaking point arose when slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. Frustrated by the loss of their labour force many Boers left the Cape and embarked on the Great Trek to find new lands where they could practice slavery (Clark and Worger 2004: 12-13). They founded new republics in inland South Africa, which were isolated and free from British control (Clark and Worger 2004:13). The isolation and the Great Trek had a profound effect on the Boers. This led to the development of a culture and society that was distinctly separate from the Dutch nation (Clark and Worger 2004:13). This new culture identified the as British as the enemies of the Boer independence. The Boers saw the British imperialism as the cause of them leaving the Cape (Clark and Worger 2004:13).

The discovery of vast mineral wealth in South Africa, gave rise to a new era characterised by capitalism and racial oppression. The British fought a series of wars against the Boers to gain control of the mineral resources in the Boer republics (Clark and Worger 2004:15). In 1902, the Boer republics were incorporated into the British Empire and the British embarked on a program of denationalisation towards the Boers (Clark and Worger 2004: 17). The failure of this scheme resulted in the creation of Afrikaans, which was seen as a new language for a new people (Clark and Worger 2004: 19). This also led to the creation of the cultural identity of the Afrikaner, which replaced the Boer identity of farmers (Clark and Worger 2004: 17).

In 1910, the Union of South Africa was created, which cemented British...