History Literature / TheWarInSouthAfrica

''The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct'' is a non-fictional work by Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, of SherlockHolmes and LostWorld fame, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exposing the conduct of the British Army during the Boer War.]]

* TheChessMaster: Kruger. Steyn. And arguably, Rhodes.

* FascistButInefficient: Averted. Despite giving rise to a respectable internal opposition, the Boer Republics manage to have a real chance of overrunning all of South Africa. Despite that, they end up succumbing to Britain's superior resources and organization.
* TheFederation: The Boer Republics both are this and claim to be that trope in relation to Great Britain, and Great Britain, having already given home rule to territories like Australia and Canada, somewhat qualifies.

* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: Doyle argued that despite being Republics in name, by the fact of oppressing blacks and non-Dutch, engaging in gun dealing and international conspiracies, and having one PresidentForLife as one of the leaders, the Boer states were not in fact democracies.

* WorthyOpponent: Doyle respects the Boers, and is somewhat sympathetic to the reasons why they rebelled. But he is clearly disgusted by their contempt for democracy and civil rights, and their perceived disregard for the proper customs of warfare.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Doyle himself couldn't see this trope play out, but Britain's victory in this war wouldn't prevent the institution of {{Apartheid}} in 1948, just secure that all whites should be formally equal.

The Boers then forced their own Gambit on the British. After dismantling a StagedPopularUprising ordered by Cecil Rhodes, they started purchasing weapons and intelligence in Europe. This meant they either forced Britain to make a preemptive-strike and paint the Empire as the aggressors, or make Britain avoid visible military preparation for the sake of their international reputation, and then attack the rest of South Africa before Britain could bring reinforcements from elsewhere.\\\

** One of Doyle's claims is that, being British-ruled, South Africa can really become a Federation of different races and beliefs living in harmony. [[CaptainObvious That didn't happen.]]

* AmoralAfrikaner: The description of Boer actions border on this and WorthyOpponent depending of what specific action Doyle is describing.

** In fact the British are alleged of having punished Boer families with male members believed to be still fighting with halved rations in the internment camps. Doyle says that this was just briefly applied, and abandoned when the camp doctors saw this as not very humane.
* DoomedMoralVictor: Doyle himself couldn't see this trope play out, but Britain's victory in this war won´t prevented the institution of {{Apartheid}} in 1948, just secured that all whites should be formally equal.
* EndOfAnEra: The book ends with Doyle resenting the fact that Germany moral support to the Boers. It´s hinted that the Dutch also gave some undercover help and intelligence in the European situation and both Germany and France are stated to having sold then high technology weapons for the Boers. But Germany doing it for more than the money marked the end of congenial relations between Germany and Britain until UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.

* FascistButInefficient: Averted. Despite giving rise to a respectable internal opposition, the Boer Republics manage to have a real chance of overrunning all of South Africa. Despite that, they end succumbing to Britain superior resources and organization.

** One of Doyle claims is that, being British ruled, South Africa can really become a Federation of different races and beliefs living in harmony. History sadly won´t followed exactly that way.

* TheManBehindTheMan: Doyle exposes and tries to deny Boer allegations that people like Cecil Rhodes were manipulating South African political landscape in their own favor and were directly responsible for the war, while also exposing that specific Boer politicians forced events in a way to make war, if not avoidable, inevitable and more brutal. The book also hints that the Dutch and The Germans had some interest in a Boer victory. The factual truth is a bit more complex.

* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: Doyle argued that, despite being Republics in name, by the fact of oppressing blacks and non-Dutch, engaging in gun dealing and international conspiracies, and having one PresidentForLife as one of the leaders, were not in fact democracies.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: Employed in some scale by the Boers. Although not stated in the book, at least one American fought for the British, though as a full-on Brit official.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Britain had NO interest in the gold and diamond mines of Transvaal.
* WarForFunandProfit: Zigzagged. Doyle both tries to deny accusation of Britain being manipulated by greedy financiers, and states that one of the main purposes of the Boer for doing war is extracting profit from the gold and diamond mines without paying a just share to the people who brought complex machinery, capital and specialized work for them, for not saying working the local Africans to death in their own country.
* WesternTerrorists: What some of the described actions of the Boers borders on to.
* WorthyOpponent: Doyle respects the Boer, and is somewhat sympathetic to the reasons why they rebelled. But is clearly disgusted by their contempt for factual democracy and civil rights, not saying about for was then regarded as the proper customs of warfare.
* XanatosGambit: How Doyle describes the Boer Republics political situation before the war. The rising number of non-Boer residents asking for citizenship would cause the election of great number of pro-British politicians who would promote British annexation of the Republics and get it either through referendum or by giving British troops and employees unrestricted transit. If treated as second-class citizens for much time, would cause a civil war that would require British intervention to solve, with the Boer then treated as the guilty party.\\\
The Boer them force their own Gambit on the British, after dismantling a StagedPopularUprising ordered by Cecil Rhodes: still treating the non-Boers bad and started weapons purchases and intel operations in Europe, for either forcing Britain to take a preemptive-strike and showing themselves as unjustly aggressed upon, or make Britain avoid making a visible military preparation that could bring more international bad rep, and them attack the rest of South Africa with all their force before Britain could bring reinforcements from elsewhere.\\\

Simpathetic to the British POV, it´s a historical account of the events leading to and resulting from said war, and also an attempt to divert both factual and invented accusations of humans rights abuses against his country. The most remarkable fact in the book is that, while trying to analize accusation against his country, Doyle does a detailed description of the Tropes played by the accusators for trying undo them, not much differently of how his most famous character solved crimes or Dr. Challenger tried to find scientific explanations for the supernatural events going around him.

* EndOfAnEra: The book ends with Doyle resenting the fact that Germany moral support to the Boers. It´s hinted that the Dutch also gave some undercover help and intelligence in the European situation and both Germany and France are stated to having sold then high technology weapons for the Boers. But Germany doing it for more than the money marked the end of congenial relations between Germany and Britain until WorldWarI.

''The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct'' is a non-fictional work by ArthurConanDoyle, of SherlockHolmes and LostWorld fame, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exposing the conduct of the British Army during the Boer War.]]

* SuspicioulySpecificDenial: Britain had NO interest in the gold and diamond mines of Transvaal.

* AmoralAfrikaner: The description of Boer actions border on this and WorthyOpponent deppending of what specific action Doyle is describing.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Because some blacks entered (ou could do) British service or brifly collaborated with British troops, the Boers started terror campaigns against black settlements and individual blacks living in white ones.
** In fact the British are alleged of having punished Boer families with male members believed to be still fighting with halved rations in the internment camps. Doyle says that this was just briefly appied, and abandoned when the camp doctors saw this as not very humane.
* DoomedMoralVictor: Doyle himself couldn't see this trope play out, but Britain's victory in this war won´t prevented the institution of TheApartheid in 1948, just secured that all whites should be formally equal.
* EndOfAnEra: The book ends with Doyle resenting the fact that Germany moral support to the Boers. It´s hinted that the Dutch also gave some undercover help and inteligence in the European situation and both Germany and France are stated to having sold then high technology weapons for the Boers. But Germany doing it for more than the money marked the end of congenial relations between Germany and Britain until the GreatWorldWar.

* FascistButInefficient: Averted. Despite giving rise to a respectable internal opposition, the Boer Republics manage to have a real chance of overruning all of South Africa. Despite that, they end succumbing to Britain superior resources and organization.

* GreedyJews: Another Boer accusation discussed by Doyle.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Doyle exposes and tries to deny Boer allegations that people like Cecil Rhodes were manipulating South African political landscape in their own favor and were directly responsible for the war, while also exposing that specifical Boer politicians forced events in a way to make war, if not avoidable, innevitable and more brutal. The book also hints that the Dutch and The Germans had some interest in a Boer victory. The factual truth is a bit more complex.
* NobleDemon: More or less what Doyles thinks of some Boer leaders, especially Mr. Kruger.
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: Doyle argued that, despite being Republics in name, by the fact of opressing blacks and non-Dutchs, engaging in gun dealing and international conpiracies, and having one PresidentForLife as one of the leaders, were not in fact democracies.

* WarForFunandProfit: Zigzagged. Doyle both tries to deny accusation of Britain being manipulated by greedy financists, and states that one of the main purposes of the Boer for doing war is extracting profit from the gold and diamond mines without paying a just share to the people who brought complex machinery, capital and specialized work for them, for not saying working the local africans to death in their own country.

The Boer them force their own Gambit on the British, after dismantling a StagedPopularUprising ordered by Cecil Rhodes: still treating the non-Boers bad and started weapons purchases and intel operations in Europe, for either forcing Britain to take a preemptive-strike and showing themselves as unjustly agressed, or make Britain avoid making a visible military preparation that could bring more international bad rep, and them attack the rest of South Africa with all their force before Britain could bring reinforcements from elsewhere.\\\
Strangely enough, both gambits failed and suceeded : the mistreatment of non-Boers and blacks both alienated people and motivated the enemies of the Boer Republics, which contributed to their ultimate downfall and supression as a result of the war, and Britain couldn´t bring all their force against the Boers even with the growing tensions in South Africa, until the Boers tried an all-out attack that were barely resisted.

* AmoralAfrikaner: The description of Boer actions border on this and WorthfulOpponent deppending of what specific action Doyle is describing.

''The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct'' is a non-fictional work by ArthurConanDoyle, of SherlockHolmes and LostWorld fame, [[ExactlyWhatSaysOnTheTin exposing the conduct of the British Army during the Boer War.]]

* GoodFederationBadEmpire: Discussed. Doyle alleged that the two Federations in question were racist, elitist, and corrupt against a (in comparison) non-racist, democratic and lawful Empire. What was not very far from the truth.
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: Doyle argued that, despite being Republics in name, by the fact of opressing blacks and non-Dutchs, engaging in gun dealing and international conpiracies, and having one PresidentForLife as one of the leaders, were not in fact democracies.
* NobleDemon: More or less what Doyles thinks of some Boer leaders, especially Mr. Kruger.

* WesternTerrorists: What some of the described actions of the Boers borders on to.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: Employed in some scale by the Boers. Although not stated in the book, at least one American fought for the British, though as a full-on Brit official.

* FascistButInefficient: Averted. Despite giving rise to a respectable internal opposition, the Boer Republics manage to have a real chance of overruning all of South Africa. Despite that, they end succumbing to Britain superior resources and organization.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Because some blacks entered (ou could do) British service or brifly collaborated with British troops, the Boers started terror campaigns against black settlements and individual blacks living in white ones.
** In fact the British are alleged of having punished Boer families with male members believed to be still fighting with halved rations in the internment camps. Doyle says that this was just briefly appied, and abandoned when the camp doctors saw this as not very humane.
* AmoralAfrikaner: The description of Boer actions border on this and WorthfulOpponent deppending of what specific action Doyle is describing.
* WorthfulOpponent: Doyle respects the Boer, and is somewhat sympathetic to the reasons why they rebelled. But is clearly disgusted by their contempt for factual democracy and civil rights, not saying about for was then regarded as the proper customs of warfare.

* TheChessMaster: Kruger. Steyn. And arguably, Rhodes.
* GreedyJews: Another Boer accusation discussed by Doyle.

* EvilColonialist: The Boer tries to describe the British as this, a point which Doyle also tries to discuss.
* SuspicioulySpecificDenial: Britain had NO interest in the gold and diamond mines of Transvaal.

Strangely enough, both gambits failed and suceeded : the mistreatment of non-Boers and blacks both alienated people and motivated the enemies of the Boer Republics, which contributed to their ultimate downfall and supression as a result of the war, and Britain couldn´t bring all their force against the Boers even with the growing tensions in South Africa, until the Boers tried an all-out attack that were barely resisted.
* DoomedMoralVictor: Doyle himself couldn´t see this trope play out, but Britain´s victory in this war won´t prevented the institution of TheApartheid in 1948, just secured that all whites should be formally equal.

''The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct'' is a non-fictional work by ArthurConanDoyle, of SherlockHolmes and LostWorld fame, [[ExactlyWhatSaysInTheTin exposing the conduct of the British Army during the Boer War.]]

* GreedyJews: Another Boer acusation discussed by Doyle.

* WarForFunandProfit: Zigzagged. Doyle both tries to deny acusations of Britain being manipulated by greedy financists, and states that one of the main purposes of the Boer for doing war is extracting profit from the gold and diamond mines without paying a just share to the people who brought complex machinery, capital and specialized work for them, for not saying working the local africans to death in their own country.

* XanatosGambit: How Doyle describes the Boer Republics political situation before the war. The rising number of non-Boer residents asking for citizenship would cause the election of great number of pro-British politicians who would promote British annexation of the Republics and get it either through referendum or by giving British troops and employees unrestricted transit. If treated as second-class citizens for much time, would cause a civil war that would require British intervention to solve, with the Boer then treated as the guilty party.

The Boer them force their own Gambit on the British, after dismantling a StagedPopularUprising ordered by Cecil Rhodes: still treating the non-Boers bad and started weapons purchases and intel operations in Europe, for either forcing Britain to take a preemptive-strike and showing themselves as unjustly agressed, or make Britain avoid making a visible military preparation that could bring more international bad rep, and them attack the rest of South Africa with all their force before Britain could bring reinforcements from elsewhere.

''The War in South Africa: It´s Cause and Conduct'' is a non-fictional work by ArthurConanDoyle, of SherlockHolmes and LostWorld fame, [[ExactlyWhatSaysInTheTin exposing the conduct of the British Army during the Boer War.]]

This work has examples of:

* DoomedMoralVictor: Doyle himself couldn´t see this trope play out, but Britain´s victory in this war won´t prevented the institution of TheApartheid in 1948, just secured that all whites should be formally equal.

*

* People´sRepublicOfTyranny: Doyle argued that, despite being Republics in name, by the fact of opressing blacks and non-Dutchs, engaging in gun dealing and international conpiracies, and having one PresidentForLife as one of the leaders, were not in fact democracies.

* WhiteWesternTerrorists: What some of the described actions of the Boers borders on to.

* TheFederation: The Boer Republics both are this and claim to be that trope in relation to Great Britain, and Great Britain, having already given home rule to territories like Australia and Canada, somewhat qualifies. One of Doyle claims is that, being British ruled, South Africa can really become a Federation of different races and beliefs living in harmony. History sadly won´t followed exactly that way.

* DisprortionateRetribution: Because some blacks entered (ou could do) British service or brifly collaborated with British troops, the Boers started terror campaigns against black settlements and individual blacks living in white ones. In real life, the British are alleged of having punished Boer families with male members belived to be still fighting with halved rations in the internment camps. Doyle says that this was just brifly apllied, and abandoned when the camp doctors saw this as not very humane.

* People´sOfTyranny: Doyle argued that, despite being Republics in name, by the fact of opressing blacks and non-Dutchs, engaging in gun dealing and international conpiracies, and having one PresidentForLife as one of the leaders, were not in fact democracies.