The Boer War was in many ways the climax of the age of high imperialism. Numerous factors contributed to it: the material interests of the capitalists on the Rand, who believed that their interests were best served by a modern South African state under British rule; the “men on the spot”, notably Cecil Rhodes and Sir Alfred Milner, with their ambitious plans for a future British Empire that would become a sort of worldwide super-state transcending the old-fashioned system of reluctant rule by Downing Street assisted by a not always well informed Colonial Office; the expansionist ambitions of a few determined imperialists like Joseph Chamberlain; and the concerns of statesmen and the military about the security of the Empire and the status of Britain within the international system.

Throughout the world the public showed great sympathy with the Boers and anglophobia reached new heights. The governments of the major powers, however, took a different line; here real politics dominated and diplomatic considerations took precedence. It would appear that the other powers were entangled in imperialist ventures of their own and for this reason were not inclined to antagonize Britain on account of the fate of the Boers, even though the latter enjoyed a great deal of support among the public, and although it was not in doubt that this was an unjust war brought about by the British despite the fact that military operations had been commenced by the Transvaal.