Table of contentsIntroductionEarly lifeContributions to South AfricaThe Anglo-Boer WarKruger becomes presidentConclusionBibliographyIntroductionStephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, que we know as Paul Kruger, played a major role in shaping the history of South Africa with his contribution and involvement during the Anglo-Boer War and a strong sense of struggle for independence of the Transvaal against the British. He was not only an important military figure but also a great politician. A detailed examination of his early life, his contributions to South Africa as well as what was happening there during this period will allow us to see how his contexts and circumstances shaped him to become the historical icon that he is. he became. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayEarly lifeStephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger was born on October 10, 1825, on his grandfather's farm in Bulhoek, Cape Colony. Kruger had little or no education beyond learning the Bible, which was common among the Boers. Father Casper Jan Hendrik Kruger and mother Elsie Steyn. At the age of 10, Kruger and his family joined the Voortrekkers in 1836, led by Hendrick Potgieter. During this period, he was raised to adhere to the strict tenets of Dutch Calvinism, as the Boers were extremely religious. The Boers also had a tradition that at the age of 16, young men had to move to a farm. Kruger left and became the owner of land which he named Waterkloof in 1842. In 1836 Kruger took part in the Battle of Vegkop, where the Boers fought against the Mzilikazi, and in February 1838 he witnessed the massacre of the laagers by the Zulus. warriors from Natal, leading his family to move and take up farming in Rustenburg in the Transvaal. Kruger married Maria Du Plessis and had a son together. Unfortunately, the baby and Maria died. Kruger then married Du Plessis' cousin, Gezina Du Plessis, and together they had 17 children, some dying in infancy. Gezina died in 1901.Contributions to South AfricaAs previously stated, Kruger was exposed at a young age to the many battles that took place in South Africa during this period, which could be seen as character building and training from him. strong, icon that he has become. He fought many battles and "fought in three battles before thirteen." Like many young Afrikaners, Kruger became a field cornet at the age of just 17 and took part in the Battle of Dimawe against the Tswane people. At such a young age, Kruger was already developing characteristics and possessed the qualities of a leader. Kruger was then promoted to commando lieutenant in 1852 and then promoted to general commander. Kruger was also selected to serve on the Volksraad and given the task of helping to draft a constitution for the Transvaal. Even by this time, Kruger had already built a solid reputation and possessed not only a high military profile, but also a promising political future. The Anglo-Boer War The First Anglo-Boer War was the result of British expansion and unrest within the Transvaal government at the time as the Boers opposed British rule in the Transvaal and consisted in several battles between the Boers and the British. The Boers were already experiencing financial difficulties and were also at war with the Pedi people. This was the perfect opportunity for the British to step in and take controlof the Transvaal. The British sent Sir Theophilus Shepstone to the Transvaal to speak to the Boers and subsequently annexed the Transvaal. The British began to tax the Boers, which added even more tension between the two groups. On 8 December 1880, a large group of Boers gathered at a farm and had meetings and discussions about how to get rid of British rule over the Transvaal. Kruger was elected vice president at this time. The meetings ended on December 16, 1880, and the Boers were ready. The first attack took place when the Boers ambushed the British, where the majority of British soldiers were killed or injured. This is called the Battle of Bronkhorstpruit in which the Boers were successful. On January 26, 1881, more than 1,000 British soldiers marched towards Mount Prospect to attack the Boers, but were unsuccessful as the Boers fought back and were victorious. This is called the Battle of Laignsnek. Due to the large number of British soldiers killed and wounded, the British called a truce as their wounded soldiers needed to be treated and the dead buried. Kruger made a trip to Britain in 1877 to try to persuade the British government to withdraw the annexation. , but the result was unfortunately negative. After trying a passive approach which also had a negative result, there was then a battle between the Boers and the British, the horrific Battle of Majuba which the Boers won in 1881. This attracted the attention of the British and allowed Kruger to negotiate with the British. and gained independence, which was a step in the right direction for the Boers. Transvaal independence meant that the British would not financially support the Transvaal government, leading to a rapid decline in the economy, leaving Kruger with a huge problem that he needed to solve. Kruger therefore had to think of a new way to generate income. The First Anglo-Boer War was a success for the Boers. Kruger became President Kruger became President of Transvaal on 16 April 1883 and was motivated by the desire to achieve an independent South Africa. Three years later, in 1886, a catastrophe struck. Gold was discovered in the Witwatersrand region, which attracted the attention of many "uitlanders", which was called the gold rush. “Kruger saw this as a threat to the distinct national identity of his people, the people of God.” Kruger therefore tried to limit the number of Uitlanders. Kruger unfortunately could not stop the Uitlanders and in 1884 the Scramble for Africa took place, leaving South Africa full of foreigners. There have been many complaints about high rail fares, mainly from Uitlanders. The reason for this was that it was a great way for the Transvaal to generate revenue and limit the number of Uitlanders, as many of them did not qualify for citizenship, which Kruger used to keep the as many as possible outside the Transvaal. This, however, led to Jameson's raid, which angered Cecil Rhodes, who was then Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Jameson's raid was led by Leander Starr. Jameson, a friend of Cecil Rhodes, was a complete disaster as well as an embarrassment to the British. Jameson left for Johannesburg on 29 December 1895 with around 600 men to start an uprising as requested by Rhodes but unfortunately encountered soldiers from the Transvaal who blocked the road to Johannesburg. Despite their efforts, the British soldiers were unable to pass and had to surrender on January 2, 1896. This made the already difficult relations between the Boers and the British even more unstable, but to maintainPeace, Rhodes, Jameson, as well as the soldier who participated in Jameson's raid, were imprisoned and Jameson was convicted of treason. Tension increased between the 2 Boer republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, and the British as there was still a problem with the many uitlanders in South Africa which Kruger was very wary of. “Some Uitlanders felt that they were helping to exploit the wealth of the republic and that they had the right to have a say in how the country was run.” Kruger realized that this was true to some extent and so called for a second change. Volksraad in 1890 where new laws were put in place allowing Uitlanders to apply for citizenship if they had stayed in South Africa for 5 years or more. However, it was clear that the First Volksraad still had a say in how the Transvaal was managed. "Only Uitlanders residing in the country for at least 14 years could vote for the first Volksraad." This was the perfect opportunity for the British to attempt to influence voters in an attempt to redeem themselves and regain their dominance over the Transvaal after the embarrassment caused to them by Jameson's raid. The British were very determined to become involved in Transvaal affairs and so sent Lord Milner to South Africa to stop the Boer expansion, which the British feared. Milner knew that the only way the British could stop the Boers was to start a war. The first battle took place at Tulane in October 1899. The British won the Second Battle of Elandslaagte. Many other battles took place during this time. An important turning point in events was called "Black Week", where the Boers succeeded in their attacks during the Battle of Sponsor and Vaalkrans. The Transvaal and the Orange Free State united and in 1900 changed their attacks using guerrilla warfare. The British felt intimidated and called in more soldiers and began to fight the Boers. The British eventually succeeded in conquering Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Pretoria. At this point many Boers felt there was no reason for them to continue fighting the British and surrendered as the British already controlled the majority of the Boer settlements. Kruger then sent a telegram to Marthinus Steyn, president of the Orange Free State, with ideas of capitulation, but Steyn and other Boers disagreed. Kruger, aged 73, was unable to fight in the war due to his declining health and had to leave South Africa. He leaves on a boat and goes into exile in the Netherlands. Even though he was not physically in South Africa and not fighting in the war, he never stopped trying to get help and support from Boers in other countries. After many Boers surrendered, the British assumed that the remainder of the war would be quick and easy. The Boers who continued the war, however, were prepared to see this war through and persevered. The Boer soldiers could be considered admirals because they did not give up and fought until the end. These soldiers were called the “bitter einders”. In 1902, the war ended. The success of the British was also a bittersweet feeling, because although they defeated the Boers, many lives were lost on both sides. The war was extremely costly and long. Two years after the end of the war, Kruger died in Clarens, Switzerland, where he settled after being in exile in the Netherlands. His body was then returned to South Africa and buried on South African soil for which he never stopped fighting until his death. South Africa made