Regions Union of South Africa
Survey Articles (Regional)
Regional Thematic Articles
- African Labour in Europe (Africa)
- Afrikaner (Boer) Rebellion (Union of South Africa)
- Centenary (South Africa)
- Colonial Warfare and Occupation (Africa)
- Commemoration, Cult of the Fallen (Africa)
- Commemoration, Cult of the Fallen (Union of South Africa)
- Dominions’ Military Relationship to Great Britain 1902-1914 (British Dominions)
- Economies and Home Front (Union of South Africa)
- Governments, Parliaments and Parties, Labour, Labour Movements and Strikes (Union of South Africa)
- Historiography 1918-Today (Union of South Africa)
- Indigenous Experience of War (British Dominions)
- Influenza Pandemic (Africa)
- Organization of War Economies (Africa)
- Post-war Colonial Administration (Africa)
- Post-war Economies (Africa)
- Pre-war Military Planning (Africa)
- Pre-war Military Planning and War Aims (Union of South Africa)
- Prisoners of War (Africa)
- Prisoners of War and Internees (Union of South Africa)
- Science and Technology (Africa)
- South Africa and the German East Africa Campaign (Union of South Africa)
- South African Invasion of German South West Africa (Union of South Africa)
- South African Troops in Europe and the Middle East (Union of South Africa)
- War Aims and War Aims Discussions (Africa)
- War and Colonial Finance (Africa)
- War Losses (Africa)
Encyclopedic Entries
Survey Articles (Regional)
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In 1914, the Union of South Africa was four years old; its military only two. British supremacy in the South African War (1899-1902) provoked different responses from English and Afrikaner white … READ MORE
Regional
Regional Thematic Articles
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Between 1914 and 1918, between 150,000 and 200,000 Africans traveled to Europe to labor in support of the war effort. Most came from French colonies, but many also came from British colonies in … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The South African government’s decision to actively support Britain in the war against Germany led to much dissatisfaction within the white Afrikaans-speaking community. By the second week of … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides an assessment of how society and the state in post-apartheid South Africa responded to the issue of centenary commemoration of the First World War. It suggests that while the … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
In 1914, Allied leaders plunged Africans into a conflict that was not their own. In West Africa, British and French colonial troops quickly occupied Togo, while the conquest of Cameroon proved much … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Commemoration in the form of ceremonies and monuments was for the most part alien to African cultures and was largely a part of the European colonial project. As such, its main aim was to glorify … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
South Africa’s First World War cult of commemoration has long centred around the 1st South African Infantry Brigade’s fight at Delville Wood, shaped by the socio-political exigencies … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The dominions of Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa shared an ambiguous constitutional relationship with Britain. The self-governing dominions were free to implement their … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides a succinct overview of the impact of the war on the economy and the home front of the Union of South Africa and considers the main ways in which these domestic sectors responded … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Governments, Parliaments and Parties, Labour, Labour Movements and Strikes (Union of South Africa)
By Wessel Pretorius Visser
In South Africa the period between 1914 and 1918 was one of intense political and industrial turmoil. It entailed two violent strikes, eventually suppressed by the South African government, a … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The First World War in Africa has been considered a sideshow compared to the catastrophe that took place in European theatre of war. As a result, the historiography of South Africa’s participation … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Policymakers in the British Dominions of Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa confronted the common questions about Indigenous service in the First World War but with diverse … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides the first continent-wide overview of the catastrophic, worldwide “Spanish” influenza pandemic in Africa. It focuses on the virus’ arrival, the countermeasures that vainly … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides a brief overview of the contribution of African economies to the war and of the ways in which colonial economies were re-organized to respond to the demands of the war period. … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article argues that the shifts in the colonial administration after World War One should be analyzed from two intertwined perspectives: Firstly the new international system of the mandates and … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The economic development of African territories in the years following World War I was fostered by European and American capital, as well as by African societies’ innovations in agricultural … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Africa did not feature prominently in pre-war military planning. Once the Allies secured the strategically important coastlines of the German colonies, they competed with each other in the seizure of … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The Union of South Africa was formed ten years after the internecine Second Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902) from which the British Empire emerged victorious. Afrikaner-English acrimony was an especially … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
During the First World War Africans served as combatants, porters, and labourers in Africa and Europe where many became prisoners of war. POWs in Africa were generally swiftly incorporated into their … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
A comparatively small number of German residents were interned as “enemy subjects” in the Union of South Africa. Most of them were accommodated at an abandoned military fort, Fort Napier, in … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Although many scientific innovations and technologies came to the continent with the process of colonization, only during the First World War did Africans experience the full potential of new weapons … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
South Africa’s contribution to the East Africa campaign extended beyond 1916, the year most South Africans served there under General Jan Smuts. South Africans of all racial groups served in … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The South African invasion of German South West Africa (GSWA) in September 1914 was specifically aimed at securing several strategic British war objectives. The invasion was the first time that the … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Like other dominions of the British Empire, the Union of South Africa’s participation in war was varied. South African volunteers served in various geographical campaigns, ranging from the Western … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The First World War led to a renewed imperialist scramble for territory in Africa. Allied victory and African campaigns allowed British, French, Belgian, Portuguese and South African leaders to … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides a brief overview of the financial contribution of the African colonies to the First World War. It considers the problems faced by the colonial state in raising revenues during … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Human resources in Africa were exploited during the First World War for imperial ends. Men were sent to Europe to augment the manpower of the combatants, and soldiers and labourers were mobilized to … READ MORE
Regional Thematic
Encyclopedic Entries
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Invented in France in 1860, barbed wire was further developed in the United States, where it was used to restrict cattle and secure territory. Acquiring far more menacing qualities in the First World … READ MORE
Entry -
Louis Botha, Boer General and Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, served throughout the war. Following the 1914 Afrikaner rebellion, he commanded the troops in German South West Africa, won … READ MORE
Entry -
This is the first in what it is hoped will become a series of discussion forums hosted by ''1914-1918-online''. In this discussion forum, General Editor Peter Gatrell invited contributions that … READ MORE
Entry -
World War I was not simply a conflict among European states but a global war of empires. The fighting took place not only in Europe, but also in Africa, Asia, and across the Middle East, and it … READ MORE
Entry -
Jan Smuts was a South African lawyer and statesman who ultimately became deputy prime minister of the Union of South Africa. During the war, Smuts was Minister of Defence, Finance and Mines. He … READ MORE
Entry
See also
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In the modern era, new forms of mourning and meaning-making for fallen soldiers emerged. The human losses of the First World War were largely mourned, honoured and remembered within … READ MORE
Thematic -
The commemorative period between 2014 and 2018 was marked globally by numerous exhibitions of original artworks that had been commissioned and created during and immediately after World War 1. Most … READ MORE
Thematic -
While there were no major wars between European great powers in the decades preceding 1914, their militaries were constantly engaged, fighting in their expanding colonial empires in Africa, Asia, … READ MORE
Thematic -
Controversy: The Media's Responsibility for Crises and Conflicts in the Age of Imperialism
By Peter Geiss
The article discusses the role of the media in the complex international process leading to the First World War with a focus on the press of the great powers. Recent research has shown that the … READ MORE
Thematic -
This article focuses on the extent to which imperialism contributed to the outbreak of the First World War. The first part describes the emergence of specific imperialist cultures and attitudes in … READ MORE
Thematic -
It may surprise us to learn that some sectors of the European public were in favour of the war in 1914. The impact of modern weapons was not well understood and many people in the government, … READ MORE
Thematic
Survey Articles (Regional)
-
In 1914, the Union of South Africa was four years old; its military only two. British supremacy in the South African War (1899-1902) provoked different responses from English and Afrikaner white … READ MORE
Regional
Regional Thematic Articles
-
Between 1914 and 1918, between 150,000 and 200,000 Africans traveled to Europe to labor in support of the war effort. Most came from French colonies, but many also came from British colonies in … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The South African government’s decision to actively support Britain in the war against Germany led to much dissatisfaction within the white Afrikaans-speaking community. By the second week of … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides an assessment of how society and the state in post-apartheid South Africa responded to the issue of centenary commemoration of the First World War. It suggests that while the … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
In 1914, Allied leaders plunged Africans into a conflict that was not their own. In West Africa, British and French colonial troops quickly occupied Togo, while the conquest of Cameroon proved much … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Commemoration in the form of ceremonies and monuments was for the most part alien to African cultures and was largely a part of the European colonial project. As such, its main aim was to glorify … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
South Africa’s First World War cult of commemoration has long centred around the 1st South African Infantry Brigade’s fight at Delville Wood, shaped by the socio-political exigencies … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The dominions of Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa shared an ambiguous constitutional relationship with Britain. The self-governing dominions were free to implement their … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides a succinct overview of the impact of the war on the economy and the home front of the Union of South Africa and considers the main ways in which these domestic sectors responded … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Governments, Parliaments and Parties, Labour, Labour Movements and Strikes (Union of South Africa)
By Wessel Pretorius Visser
In South Africa the period between 1914 and 1918 was one of intense political and industrial turmoil. It entailed two violent strikes, eventually suppressed by the South African government, a … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The First World War in Africa has been considered a sideshow compared to the catastrophe that took place in European theatre of war. As a result, the historiography of South Africa’s participation … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Policymakers in the British Dominions of Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa confronted the common questions about Indigenous service in the First World War but with diverse … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides the first continent-wide overview of the catastrophic, worldwide “Spanish” influenza pandemic in Africa. It focuses on the virus’ arrival, the countermeasures that vainly … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides a brief overview of the contribution of African economies to the war and of the ways in which colonial economies were re-organized to respond to the demands of the war period. … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article argues that the shifts in the colonial administration after World War One should be analyzed from two intertwined perspectives: Firstly the new international system of the mandates and … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The economic development of African territories in the years following World War I was fostered by European and American capital, as well as by African societies’ innovations in agricultural … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Africa did not feature prominently in pre-war military planning. Once the Allies secured the strategically important coastlines of the German colonies, they competed with each other in the seizure of … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The Union of South Africa was formed ten years after the internecine Second Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902) from which the British Empire emerged victorious. Afrikaner-English acrimony was an especially … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
During the First World War Africans served as combatants, porters, and labourers in Africa and Europe where many became prisoners of war. POWs in Africa were generally swiftly incorporated into their … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
A comparatively small number of German residents were interned as “enemy subjects” in the Union of South Africa. Most of them were accommodated at an abandoned military fort, Fort Napier, in … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Although many scientific innovations and technologies came to the continent with the process of colonization, only during the First World War did Africans experience the full potential of new weapons … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
South Africa’s contribution to the East Africa campaign extended beyond 1916, the year most South Africans served there under General Jan Smuts. South Africans of all racial groups served in … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The South African invasion of German South West Africa (GSWA) in September 1914 was specifically aimed at securing several strategic British war objectives. The invasion was the first time that the … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Like other dominions of the British Empire, the Union of South Africa’s participation in war was varied. South African volunteers served in various geographical campaigns, ranging from the Western … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
The First World War led to a renewed imperialist scramble for territory in Africa. Allied victory and African campaigns allowed British, French, Belgian, Portuguese and South African leaders to … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
This article provides a brief overview of the financial contribution of the African colonies to the First World War. It considers the problems faced by the colonial state in raising revenues during … READ MORE
Regional Thematic -
Human resources in Africa were exploited during the First World War for imperial ends. Men were sent to Europe to augment the manpower of the combatants, and soldiers and labourers were mobilized to … READ MORE
Regional Thematic
Encyclopedic Entries
-
Invented in France in 1860, barbed wire was further developed in the United States, where it was used to restrict cattle and secure territory. Acquiring far more menacing qualities in the First World … READ MORE
Entry -
Louis Botha, Boer General and Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, served throughout the war. Following the 1914 Afrikaner rebellion, he commanded the troops in German South West Africa, won … READ MORE
Entry -
This is the first in what it is hoped will become a series of discussion forums hosted by ''1914-1918-online''. In this discussion forum, General Editor Peter Gatrell invited contributions that … READ MORE
Entry -
World War I was not simply a conflict among European states but a global war of empires. The fighting took place not only in Europe, but also in Africa, Asia, and across the Middle East, and it … READ MORE
Entry -
Jan Smuts was a South African lawyer and statesman who ultimately became deputy prime minister of the Union of South Africa. During the war, Smuts was Minister of Defence, Finance and Mines. He … READ MORE
Entry