Rewriting Empire: the South African War, the English Popular Press, and Edwardian Imperial Reform
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Rewriting Empire: The South African War, The English Popular Press, and Edwardian Imperial Reform Lauren Young Marshall Charlottesville, Virginia B.A. Longwood University, 2004 M.A. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The Department of History University of Virginia August, 2017 ________________________________ Dr. Stephen Schuker ________________________________ Dr. Erik Linstrum ________________________________ Dr. William Hitchcock ________________________________ Dr. Bruce Williams Copyright © 2017 Lauren Y Marshall Table of Contents ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS v INTRODUCTION 1 Historiographical Survey 12 CHAPTER ONE 33 The Press, The Newspapers, and The Correspondents The Pre-War Imperial Context 33 The Rise of The Popular Press 48 The Newspapers, The Correspondents, and Their 52 Motivations CHAPTER TWO 79 The Siege of Mafeking, Army Blunders, and Post-War Military Reform Early Mistakes 79 The Sieges: Mafeking and Its Aftermath 108 The Khaki Election of 1900 152 Post-War Military Reforms 159 CHAPTER THREE 198 Domestic Anti-War Activity, Pro-Boers, and Post-War Social Reform Anti-War Organizations and Demonstrations 198 The Concentration Camps, The Backlash, and Censorship 211 Post-War Social Reforms 227 CHAPTER FOUR 245 The Treaty of Vereeniging, The Fallout, Chamberlain, and Post-War Economic Reform The War’s Conclusion, Treaty Negotiations, and Reactions 245 Post-War Economic Reforms 255 South Africa as a Microcosm of Federation and The 283 Shifting Boer Myth CONCLUSION 290 The War’s Changing Legacy and The Power of the Press BIBLIOGRAPHY 302 i Abstract This dissertation explores the ways in which English newspaper correspondents during the South African War utilized their commentaries and dispatches from the front to expose British imperial weaknesses. Their willingness to challenge aggressive censorship campaigns and jingoistic propaganda provided the groundwork and momentum necessary for the military, economic, and social reform efforts that commenced during the Edwardian era in England. Those reporters, whether politically conservative or liberal, exploited their press positions and socio-political connections to transform the meanings of patriotism and imperial duty. Exposing its failings to the domestic population was the most effective way to save their beloved empire. I emphasize critical war events, such as the Mafeking siege and the Treaty of Vereeniging, as springboards from which the journalists launched their reform crusades. Correspondents played an important role in shifting the power relationship among the press, the government, and the British public in the early twentieth century. My study analyzes Fleet Street’s heightened efforts to shape popular opinions and influence policymaking in a climate of intense media saturation. Such struggles to control and manipulate information remain commonplace in twenty-first century nation-states, rendering my paper important in terms of its modern relevance. My project pulls mainly from newspapers as primary sources, which I analyze not for their accuracy but for their impact and significance as historical documents. Drawing on archival research conducted across England in 2011 and 2015, this project contends that South African correspondents played a vital role in initiating conversations about much-needed imperial ii improvements that helped to stabilize the British Empire in the years preceding World War I. iii Acknowledgements The list of people who have supported, encouraged, and assisted me on this long journey is certainly too lengthy to accurately document here, but I’ll do my very best. I want to thank the helpful librarians and assistants at the National Archives in Kew, The University of Cambridge Library, the Churchill College Archives, the Imperial War Museum, the British Library, the National Army Museum, etc. for directing me toward the valuable primary sources that form the foundation of my dissertation. I am forever thankful to my past history instructors, who instilled in me my passion for the subject—Jennifer McCluskey and John Wilkes from the Governor’s School; David Coles, Larissa Ferguson, and (anthropologist) James Jordan from Longwood University; George Munro and Bernard Moitt from Virginia Commonwealth University; and SO many others. My colleagues at John Tyler Community College, particularly Alyce Miller, have been steadfast in their encouragement, as I have spent the last 3 ½ years as both a teacher for their institution and a UVA student. My advisor, Stephen Schuker, deserves tremendous praise for his unwavering support, kindness, and patience, particularly during my lengthy tenure at the “Ph.D. candidate” stage of this process, and his courageous willingness to take me on as a doctoral student when I suddenly became “advisorless” early in my journey. Additionally, I want to thank Erik Linstrum for his extensive advice on British imperial history and his eagerness to assist me with the tremendous editing and revising process; William Hitchcock, for graciously agreeing to serve on both my comprehensive exam and my dissertation defense committees; and Bruce Williams, for stepping up to be my non-departmental committee representative and expanding my knowledge of war and the media. A very special thanks goes to Joseph Miller, who first got me excited about UVA’s history Ph.D. program while I was still an M.A. graduate student at VCU back in early 2007 and who continued to mentor me throughout my pursuit of an outside field in African History. You are certainly missed at the University, although your retirement is well earned. I also owe a debt of gratitude to department secretary Jenni Via for her amazing ability to keep me (and every other history grad student) up-to-date concerning everything from program deadlines to funding opportunities. I am beholden to the countless friends who kept my daughter occupied at various intervals while I completed coursework and toiled away at my computer—Alexandra Levy, Rosemary Lee, and Elizabeth Peckham, just to name a few. I am also grateful for all the reassurance from across the Facebook universe to fellow Taekwondo parents to Grange Hall Elementary moms to old high school friends to second cousins and everyone in between. Your encouraging words were sometimes the extra shove I needed to fulfill my self-imposed writing commitment for the day or to read just one more chapter on tariff reform. To my brother, Nick Young, and my amazing 10-year-old daughter Ivy, thanks for keeping me sane and providing me with much needed laughs when I didn’t think I iv could push myself any harder. Nick, I can’t even. Ivy, you have grown from a plucky, curious toddler when I first started school at UVA into a smart, compassionate young woman on the verge of middle school. I love you so much sweet girl, and I am so proud of you. Call me crazy, but I have to include a shout-out to my flock of chickens. I knew nothing about raising such birds when they entered my life in April 2016, but they truly have been a source of happiness and comfort as I fought through these last few months of intense writing and revision. They have enriched my life in ways I didn’t think possible—especially a little black bantam Cochin rooster named Teddy. To my parents, Michael and Julie Young, the depth of your love and support knows no bounds. You always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and you’ve always been there when I needed you since day one. Dad, thanks for making me honored to be your “mini-me” and sharing your love for baseball and history (I still think you have a far greater historical knowledge than I ever will). Go Tribe! Mom, thank you for your unconditional love, your understanding, and your willingness to share your tremendous grammatical prowess and editorial skills with me by helping to edit my entire manuscript “for Pendant Publishing” (maybe I should change the title to “War, What is It Good For?”—it wouldn’t be my family if I didn’t include a few Seinfeld references!). And lastly, to my husband of 12 years, Tim Marshall, thanks for putting up with me throughout this long process. You supported my choice to go back to school, you stood by me every step of the way, and you rode this roller coaster with me, through the highs and the lows; we’re almost back to the station now. You encouraged me, pushed me forward, and challenged me to “get it done.” Most of all, you’ve never given up on me, and I love you very much. Family, friends, professors, etc.—this one’s for you. Lauren Marshall Moseley, Virginia August 2017 v Abbreviations and Acronyms BRDW Broadwater Collection CAB Cabinet Papers CID Committee of Imperial Defense CIV City Imperial Volunteers CO Colonial Office FO Foreign Office IAPC Increased Armaments Protest Committee ILP Independent Labour Party LL Liberal League MP Member of Parliament NRU National Reform Union NSL National Service League PM Prime Minister PRO Public Records Office RCMS Royal Commonwealth Society SACC South African Conciliation Committee SAR South African Republic TNA The National Archives at Kew TRL Tariff Reform League WO War Office 1 Rewriting Empire: The South African War, The English Popular Press, and Edwardian Imperial Reform “They do not want war correspondents in South Africa. I don’t know whether ‘they’ ever wanted them.” –Edgar Wallace, The London Daily Mail, June 19, 1901 INTRODUCTION The South African War (1899-1902), initially a small-scale colonial struggle between Britain and Dutch “Boer” settlers, constituted a major turning point for the former’s global empire. The conflict posed larger questions regarding military strength, an imperial federation, and domestic social problems that significantly impacted British policymaking efforts in the post-war years. Although overshadowed historically in the twentieth century by the two world wars, the fight for power in South Africa was the “formidable event that influenced how the Edwardians thought about Empire.”1 English newspapers’ war correspondents integrated those issues into their dispatches.