Lord Milner's Work in South Africa: From Its Commencement in 1897 to the Peace of Vereeniging in 1902

This is a primary source account of one of the most contentious periods in British imperial history. Sir Alfred Milner arrived in South Africa in 1897 as High Commissioner, and over the next five years he became the central figure in Britain's policy during the Second Boer War and its immediate aftermath. W. Basil Worsfold, writing as a contemporary observer and personal acquaintance, offers an insider's detailed defense of Milner's controversial administration - the diplomatic failures that led to war, the military conduct, and the reconstruction efforts that followed the Peace of Vereeniging in 1902. The book provides a window into how British officials understood and justified their actions during this period of imperial crisis, including the racial hierarchies and civilizing missions that underpinned imperial thinking. For modern readers, it serves as a valuable (if uncritical) primary document showing how the British establishment processed one of their empire's most damaging conflicts.