Scorched Earth

The policy of scorched earth followed by the British forces during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, and the concentration camps in which the Boer women and children were placed, led to bitter memories and trauma that haunted Afrikaners and other inhabitants of South Africa alike for many years after the war. The suffering and deaths in the concentration camps were used with great effect by political leaders in the 20th century to further Afrikaner nationalism. In this book a group of eminent historians take a fresh look, with the perspective brought about by a hundred years, at this most controversial aspect of the war -- soberly and with empathy, in the words of the editor.