What Was The South African War Over?

The South African War (October 1899 to May 1902) is what the second Boer War is called outside of South Africa. The main cause of the war was the dispute over the sovereignty as well as the commercial rights of the land. It is also called the "Boer War", while some South Africans call it the Anglo – Boer War. It was a bloody war that was fought between with the alliance of two Boer governments on one side with Great Britain on the other.

The Transvaal (that is the South African Republic) and the Orange Free State comprised the two republic governments. There was a gold rush in Transvaal which meant large influx of foreigners especially from Britain. The resentful Afrikaners denied the newcomers voting rights and levied hefty taxes on the gold industry. The retaliation ultimately led to a full fledged war where the Boers attacked first. However it was the British who finally emerged victorious in this war.