The Impact of the Boer War on Party Politics

The State of Politics before the War

 The liberal divide and Irish home rule. In 1886 the Liberal party fractured forming a new political
party (Liberal Unionists) who were opposed to William Gladstone’s support for Irish Home rule. They
were led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlin and formed an alliance with the Conservatives.
This divide would shape policy over the next twenty years with the Unionists often pitted against
those in favour of home rule even in matters totally unconnected with Ireland.
 Splendid Isolationism and ‘Anglophobia’. Throughout the late eighteen hundreds Britain followed a
policy of ‘Splendid Isolationism’ meaning they were unaffiliated with any other major European
powers. She simply did not require strong ties as Her massively wealthy and expansive Empire could
support Britain totally. This led to antagonism towards Britain as the European powers thought this
reluctance to ally as needlessly arrogant. It can be said also that the other powers were terrified by
Britain’s economic might and as such resented and took every opportunity to criticise Her. Thus it can
be seen that international relationships towards Britain were chilly at best.

The Early stages of the War

 Black week. This disastrous week led to disenchantment with imperialism and a sense of
embarrassment in the British populace who had expected the Boers to be a ‘walk over’. However the
numbers of volunteers increased dramatically, perhaps due to a patriotic desire to avenge the fallen.
The events of the week provoked some criticism of the ruling Conservative party however they were
mainly ignored. Popular enthusiasm for the War was high leading up to the 1900 election.
 The 1900 ‘Khaki’ Election. The nickname ‘Khaki’ was given to this Conservative landslide due to the
massive number of Conservative politicians who were serving officers and were elected due to the
goodwill towards the War and the soldiers fighting in it. Khaki was the colour of the new uniforms for
the British Army replacing the Redcoats of old due to the development of smokeless gunpowder
making camouflage a useful ability. The Liberals also put up a lacklustre opposition due to divisions in
the ranks between Liberal Imperialists, or ‘LIMPS’ as they were nicknamed, who supported the war
effort and the ‘Pro-Boers’ led by Lloyd-George who opposed it. Thus riding on a wave of public
sentiment and with a divided opposition the Conservatives stormed to power with over 50% of the
vote and over 60% of seats in the House of Commons.

The Waning of Public opinion

 The Treatment of the Boers. As reports came back to Britain of the concentration camps, the burning
of farmstead and the mass starvation of Boers to force them into submission many started to become
disenchanted with Imperialism and became angry about the brutal treatment that the Conservatives
were seen as endorsing. This enhanced Lloyd-George’s pro-Boer movement and the Public started
looking for an alternative to the Conservatives.
 Chinese ‘Slavery’. This refers to the policy of importing indentured Chinese workers into South Africa
where they would work to repay the cost of bringing them to South Africa. The Liberals and the
Labour parties were in uproar about this policy calling the Chinese workers as little more than slaves.
It was also unpopular in the working classes as the Chinese were seen as undercutting them forcing
them out of jobs.
 The Liberal Landslide of 1906. This was an almost total reversal of the ‘Khaki’ election with the
Liberals gaining about 50% of the vote and almost 60% of the seats in the Commons. This can be
attributed to the demonization of the Conservatives and the reversal of public opinion about the War.
Also it can be attributed to the Liberals finally being able to unite and work together as an effective
political force.