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Southern Africa had been shared between British colonies and republics of Dutch-Afrikaner settlers, also known as the Boers, since its acquisition by Britain at the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars. Throughout the 19th century, these two inhabitants maintained a strained relationship, and the question of the retention of total sovereignty became increasingly prevalent as the 20th century approached. The Boers and the British had already fought a war in 1880 that provided no answer to the …

…These changes were not isolated to the South African conflict, or even the relationships between Australia, Britain and South Africa or the ideals that these countries held. The conflict itself serves to clearly demonstrate the changes that were being experienced throughout the whole world. As is clear, each nation was forced in some way or another to modify or at least analyse the traditional relationships and ideals that had made up the world prior to 1900.