Product Description

Southern Africa was once regarded as a worthless jumble of British colonies, Boer republics, and African chiefdoms, a troublesome region of little interest to the outside world. But then prospectors chanced first upon the worlds richest deposits of diamonds, and then upon its richest deposits of gold. What followed was a titanic struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the land, culminating in the costliest, bloodiest, and most humiliating war that Britain had waged in nearly a century, and in the devastation of the Boer republics. Martin Merediths magisterial account of those years portrays the great wealth and raw power, the deceit, corruption, and racism that lay behind Britains empire-building in southern Africa. Based on significant new research and filled with atmospheric detail, it focuses on the fascinating rivalry between diamond titan Cecil Rhodes and Paul Kruger, the Boer leader whose only education was the Bible, who believed the earth was flat, yet who defied Britains prime ministers and generals for nearly a quarter of a century. Diamonds, Gold and War makes palpable the cost of western greed to Africas native peoples, and explains the rise of the virulent Afrikaner nationalism that eventually took hold in South Africa, with repercussions lasting nearly a century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #430904 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 608 pages

Customer Reviews

Superb
The book covers South African history from the 1870s to 1910, a fascinating period of history involving the clash of British Imperialism, the Afrikaaner states of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, indiginous Zulu uprisings and the beginnings of the pass system. Central characters are Cecil Rhodes, Jameson, Kruger, De La Rey - and their roles in the ultimate disaster of the Anglo-Boer war.

For anyone interested in SA, late Victorian history or history generally, this is a superb book, well written and fascinating.

Diamonds Gold & War
This is a really amazing book just as long as you like either South Africa, History or war. If you have been over to South Africa as well you will love this book as then you can relate places you have been to and see what happened there back in the 18 hundreds. Amazing book and i dont do books that much but i cant put this one down. Really worth buying.

Gavin

Diamonds,Gold and War the mking of South Africa
A thought provoking book, showed both sides of the conflict, but for once the truth about Great Britains intervention and the brutal treatment of the Boer nation.