Cape Colony (1814-1910), also known as British South Africa, was a colony of the United Kingdom in present-day South Africa and Namibia. Affirmed in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 following the Napoleonic Wars, the Cape Colony was included in the Union of South Africa in 1910.
History[]
Map of the Cape Colony in 1890
The Cape Colony was created in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814, following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in which the United Kingdom had occupied the Dutch Cape Colony twice (1795 and 1806). The final annexation of the region brought the United Kingdom a major colony in between British West Africa and British India, two major exporting colonies of the United Kingdom. The British ensured the safe travel of their fleets through their possession of the Cape Colony, and they existed peacefully next to Oranje and Transvaal for around 70 years.
The Cape Colony was granted self-governance in 1867, the same year that the Dominion of Canada, Dominion of Australia, and Dominion of New Zealand were released by the United Kingdom. Cape Colony developed its own politics, with a conservative-dominated government under the South African Progressive Party. However, the colony also was home to a large population of socialists, with the South African Labor Party having a majority of the electorate vote. South Africa also managed a small army, with the 12,000-strong South African 1st Army under General David de Robeck defending the country against any threats, with the main threats being Zulu raids or Voortrekker incursions.
The Cape Colony, along with British Oranje, British Transvaal, and British Natal, were added to the Union of South Africa in 1910 following the Boer War, and the Union gained independence in 1964.
Culture[]
The population of South Africa in 1882
Cape Colony was a diverse mix of British, Dutch, native African, and even West Asian influences. As of 19 November 1882, the Cape Colony had a population of 609,100 people. 50.1% of them were British, 18.4% Khoisans, 10.7% Xhosa, 8.8% Sotho, 7.9% Boers, 1.8% Biharis, 1.1% Bengalis, and 1.3% others (including Anglo-Canadians, Nguni, Irish, and other ethnic groups). The religious beliefs of the population were 80.2% Protestant, 16.1% Animist, and 2.4% Hindu. The British and Dutch introduced Christianity to the people of Cape Colony shortly before the 17th century, while Hinduism came with the indentured laborers that arrived primarily after the 1860s or, even earlier, from Indian slaves purchased from Muslim sultans by the Dutch.
The Cape Colony was founded in a mainly-pastoralist area, and 47.6% of the population were farmers as of 1882. 37.5% of the population were laborers, 5.1% were artisans, 3.6% were soldiers, 2.4% aristocrats, 1.6% clergymen, 1.4% bureaucrats, .4% craftsmen, .3% capitalists, and .2% officers.
Politics[]
The Cape Colony was a satellite nation of the United Kingdom, as it gained its independence from the UK on 19 November 1882. Although the South African Labor Party had 38.3% of the electorate vote, only 12.1% of the ideology of South Africa was socialist. The South African Progressive Party had 32.1% of the vote, not far behind the 47.3% ideology of conservativism in South Africa. The South African Nationalist Party had 13.4% of the electorate vote, although they had 7.6% of the seats in the upper house. Finally, the liberal Afrikaner Bond had 16.2% of the electorate vote, although they held 32.9% of the seats in parliament, being the second-largest political party in South Africa.