Gladstone and Kruger: Liberal Government & Colonial ‘Home Rule’ 1880-85

Originally published in 1969, Gladstone and Kruger examines British reactions to the Afrikaner nationalism. Beginning with the first Anglo-Boer war of 1880-81, it examines the formulation of policy after the British defeat at Majuba Hill. A that moment, the dangers of a pan-Afrikaner revolt in the Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Province seemed imminent, and the British presence in southern Africa seemed very much at risk. Schreuder shows how the devolution of metropolitan Imperial power on to local ministries conflicted with the Whig concern for the preservation of British dominance and prestige abroad and provides a commentary on the Liberal response to the Irish problem.