The Jameson Raid and the First Prime Minister, 1912

Those blasted Boers; I cannot believe they would interfere with my plans. I formulated the perfect plan, the Jameson Raid, to take over the Transvaal Colony (controlled by the Boers), but the Boers were intelligent enough to see the invasion coming. The intentions of the raid were for 600 other men and I, co-founder of the De Beers mining company, to attack Johannesburg with only a small amount of artillery but enough to catch the Boers off-guard. The raid was a failure when my men and I attempted to outflank a small number of Boer officials but failed miserably. Followed by the raid, was a miserable loss to the guerrilla fighting Boers in the Anglo-Boer War as well. The mishaps of the raid and war were enough to reinstate Cecil Rhodes, my comrades’, authority of Prime Minister. After a few other member of the Progressive Party, Cecil Rhodes, and I were forced to return to Britain, we almost faced the death penalty for Treason. Even though it seemed as if Rhodes and I used violence as our first method to expand British imperialism, Cecil Rhodes did suggest “If they work for me in the Diamond mines then I will let them and there families stay in Rhodesia and I will not, and never have nor will treat them as slaves.”

Cecil Rhodes became sick and faced a tragic death due to illness in 1902. At this time I began to rebound politically and attempt to become elected as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. In 1904, my wish became possible, and I was elected by the Cape Colony Parliament to be the Prime Minister. As I became Prime Minister, I began to see through the eyes of the Afrikaner (Boers) civilization, and began negotiating with the Afrikaners. Although forced to resign as Prime Minister, I did help bring British influence to the formation of the Union of South Africa led by its first Prime Minister Louis Botha. My efforts pushed for British influence on South Africa, and Botha did hear me out by promoting British respect and customs throughout all of the South African colonies, including the Transvaal colony. The reason British officials in South Africa and I decided to negotiate British power in South Africa with Botha instead of bring tension between the Afrikaners and us again is because we were able to influence Botha to grant Britain some power and control in South Africa even after losing to the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War. To my understanding, this would be the first time we, the British, would exhibit British influence into the Afrikaner colonies. If Rhodes and I could have thought of negotiating with the Afrikaner Colonies instead of attempting to raid the Afrikaners, we as well could’ve held some control and influence in the Afrikaner Colonies for the British years ago. By using communication as a tactic of continuing our plan in ruling South Africa, we have come to realize that this imperialism tactic truly worked, and for the first time ever, we have made progress in extending British customs and influence to the Transvaal colony and the rest of Afrikaner civilization in South Africa.