Chapter 794 British Parliament
With the surrender of the last resistance army in Mozambique, the South African War began to draw to a close, and East Africa turned its guns and began to attack the Cape Colony with all its might.
The changes in the situation in South Africa also caused a complete uproar in Britain, and the pressure faced by Prime Minister Cecil increased day by day.
Cecil, full name "Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoigne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury".
He was another prime minister who was extremely hostile to East Africa after the "moderate" Gladstone, and his diplomatic policies and methods were even more extreme than Gladstone's.
For example, during the Gladstone period, the political strategy towards Ireland was mainly to advocate "self-government", but after Cecil came to power in 1886, it became "suppression by force". Almost all of Britain's wars in the late 19th century were actively planned by him.
For example, in the previous life, the Second Boer War, the suppression of civil uprisings in the Far East Empire, and the promotion of Britain's colonial activities in Southeast Asia and Africa, etc.
He pushed for Uganda, Kenya and Rhodesia to be incorporated into the colonial territory of the British Empire, so the origin of the "hatred" between him and East Africa can be seen from his previous policy propositions.
During the Gladstone era, although Gladstone also "encircled and intercepted" East Africa, he did not go to the extent of brandishing swords and guns, and mainly relied on economic sanctions.
Even if he took action, it was through Portugal as an agent, and he did not do it personally. Therefore, compared with Cecil, Gladstone actually became a "moderate" in East Africa. This has to be said to be a great irony.
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Before the end of the Mozambique War, the British government parliament in London was still engaged in a heated debate on the South African War and whether to increase support for Earl Roberts.
London.
"Africa is the last piece of paradise that has not been completely divided. It is an important territory for Britain's future for the next 100 years. If we don't seize the opportunity and let East Africa dominate Africa, it will be disastrous for our country. Later Egypt, Cape Town, British Somalia... we are all facing the threat of the Germans."
Cecil tried to explain to Parliament the threat of East Africa, which was a fact, and that the presence of East Africa had seriously undermined the progress of the British Empire in the colonial era.
Cecil's political views were also supported by a large number of parliamentarians, especially those with substantial interests in South Africa.
"What Prime Minister Cecil said is absolutely correct. Our country has important interests in South Africa. Cape Town itself has extremely important strategic value and is an important part of the British Empire's global strategic security. At the same time, we also have considerable economic interests in South Africa, especially the mineral resources in Kimberley and other places, which can bring huge profits to the government every year. Therefore, we must never give up our important political and economic interests in South Africa. At the same time, in order to maintain peace and stability in South Africa, the evil Black Hingen Kingdom must be eliminated." A member of parliament expressed his support for Cecil.
Of course, many people do not buy into this reckless statement.
Conservative Sir Hurtah stood up and asked, "The current situation is that we are completely at a disadvantage in the war in South Africa, and our two allies, the Boers, have been completely driven to the south bank of the Orange River by East Africa, and Portugal's Angola has also been captured by East Africa. Only Mozambique is still struggling, and it is still with our help."
"Even the colony of Natal fell a few days ago. This is a huge shame unprecedented in the history of the British Empire. Even in 1812, when the United States of America attacked the Canadian colonies, we did not suffer such humiliation."
"For me personally, this is very painful, but we also need to think, is it worth it for everyone?"
Before Sir Herta could finish his words, he was interrupted by someone: "Sir Herta, do you mean that we should surrender to an African country that has just been established and does not even have a history?"
Sir Herta said calmly, "Of course not. I am only interpreting the views on the South African War from the perspective of national interests. Also, interrupting someone is not what a qualified gentleman should do, so please let me finish my words and let everyone make their own judgments."
After setting the tone, Herta reorganized his thoughts and said, "As far as I know, from before the war to now, the coalition forces have mobilized more than 700,000 troops in total. Our country alone has mobilized nearly 400,000 troops to South Africa, including nearly 200,000 local troops, who fought against East Africans in Cape Town, Natal and Mozambique. There are also more than 200,000 Indians."
"The Kingdom of Portugal also tried its best to cooperate with the Empire's strategy and organized nearly 300,000 troops in Angola and Mozambique. But how much have we achieved in the South African War so far?"
Opium was silent in parliament. In the South African War alone, both sides deployed more than one million troops, which is rare in the world. It can even be said to be the largest war except for the Eurasian continent and the American Civil War.
Moreover, this war is a modern war. The weapons and equipment of both sides are among the most advanced in the world. The pressure on Britain since the war started is unprecedented.
Sir Herta went on to say, "Since the start of the war, we have spent 80 million pounds, far exceeding the total war expenditure in other regions, and our income is zero, or even negative. If we want to change the disadvantage of the South African war, how many more soldiers do we need to recruit? How much does it cost!"
When the economic accounts were calculated, everyone was shocked. 80 million pounds was an astronomical figure in that era, and this figure would continue to rise as the war continued. Even the calmest old British gentleman could not sit still and was determined to stop the Prime Minister's "crazy" idea.
In the Second Boer War in history, Britain spent 220 million pounds on war expenses, because the Boer War lasted for a full two and a half years, while the South African War had lasted less than a year so far. At the same time, large-scale naval battles broke out between the two sides. In addition, due to the value of the pound itself, the total amount was only "a mere" 80 million.
However, 80 million was enough to give the British government a headache, because there was another important difference between the South African War and the Boer War, that is, the South African War was a passive war, while the Boer War was an active war.
In the past, Britain launched the Second Boer War for the rich gold mines in South Africa, so it naturally had sufficient motivation. The South African War was to suppress the African power in East Africa. From the very beginning, Britain was actually the second to benefit from this war. In a word, it was a thankless task.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, it is time to end this purposeless war. Our contempt and arrogance towards East Africa have already cost Britain a heavy price. If the war continues, we will only lose more."
"That's right. The political landscape of East Africa on the African continent is already difficult to change. There is no need for us to continue bleeding the empire over a meaningless war."
Pessimism about the South African War began to spread in Parliament. The heavy burden of war, the tenacious resistance in East Africa, and the defeat of the British army made more centrists realize that the South African War was harmful to the British Empire and that withdrawing from the South African War in time should be the only option for the empire.
(End of this chapter)
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