“The British won the South African War (1899–1902) but the Boers won the post-war peace.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that while the British won the South African War, it was the Boers who would ultimately win the post-war peace. Candidates may support the first part of the statement by arguing that the Boers surrendered and lost their independence because of the agreements concluded in the Treaty of Vereeniging (1902). However, they may counter this and suggest that the difficulties experienced by the British during and after the war ensured that it was only the hollowest of victories; the war had been costly and protracted for the British, and Britain’s reputation was tarnished by its use of scorched earth tactics and concentration camps. When discussing the success (or otherwise) of the Boers during the post-war peace, candidates may address the failure of Milner’s Anglicization policies, the granting of self-government to the former Boer Republics, and the creation of the Union of South Africa, which was led by Boer politicians. Alternatively, they may argue that post-war reconciliation and white political and economic domination meant that both sides were “winners”.