Kent Fedorowich Kent.Fedorowich@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in British Imperial & Comnwealth History
The Afrikaner rebellion 1914-15: Internal conflict and the counterinsurgency campaign
Fedorowich, Kent; Van der Waag, Ian
Authors
Ian Van der Waag
Contributors
Martin Thomas
Editor
Gareth Curless
Editor
Abstract
The Afrikaner rebellion of 1914-1915 is an under-studied but significant event in South Africa’s troubled history. At its core was the struggle for the leadership and direction of an increasingly polarised Afrikaner community, elements of which were becoming gradually more impoverished and politically marginalised as the young dominion developed into a highly urbanised and modern industrial society. For those bywoners or ‘poor whites’ who were being economically side-lined, the origins of discontent originated in the politics of rural Afrikaner poverty that had been gripping specific regions of the country since the turn of the twentieth century. This essay explores the ‘geography of dissent’ and the multifaceted reasons surrounding the outbreak of the rebellion. It also investigates how a new generation of progressive Afrikaner leaders, epitomised by Louis Botha and Jan Smuts, sought to conciliate those of their brethren who rose up in 1914 to preserve the old patriarchal order. In the end, although the government’s counterinsurgency operations were overwhelmingly successful, it was the political settlement that followed which would define a new national identity.
Citation
Fedorowich, K., & Van der Waag, I. (2023). The Afrikaner rebellion 1914-15: Internal conflict and the counterinsurgency campaign. In M. Thomas, & G. Curless (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Late Colonial Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies (784). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198866787.001.0001
Acceptance Date | Jul 17, 2020 |
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Online Publication Date | Nov 2, 2023 |
Publication Date | Nov 2, 2023 |
Deposit Date | Jun 17, 2021 |
Publicly Available Date | Nov 3, 2025 |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 784 |
Series Title | Oxford Handbook |
Book Title | The Oxford Handbook of Late Colonial Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies |
ISBN | 9780198866787 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198866787.001.0001 |
Keywords | Afrikaner rebellion, civil war, Louis Botha, insurgency, poor white, geography of dissent |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/6286603 |
Publisher URL | https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-late-colonial-insurgencies-and-counter-insurgencies-9780198866787?cc=us&lang=en |
Additional Information | This is a co-authored chapter with Professor Ian van der Waag who is a member of the Military History Department, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. |
Files
This file is under embargo until Nov 3, 2025 due to copyright reasons.
Contact Kent.Fedorowich@uwe.ac.uk to request a copy for personal use.
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