xi, 570 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 25 cm.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. [539]-550) and index.
Contents
Diamond fever -- Blue ground -- Kimberley -- The diggers' revolt -- Enter the magnates -- The imperial factor -- Oom Paul -- The washing of spears -- Majuba -- The diamond bubble -- The stripping clause -- Dreams and fantasies -- The road to the north -- The German spectre -- The most powerful company in the world -- A chosen people -- Johannesburg -- The corner house -- A marriage of convenience -- The place of slaughter -- The balance of Africa -- To Ophir direct -- Kruger's protectorate -- Groote Schuur -- A bill for Africa -- Not for posterity -- The Loot Committee -- A tale of two towns -- The randlords -- The Rhodes conspiracy -- Jameson's raid -- Missing telegrams -- By right of conquest -- The richest spot on earth -- Nemesis -- The great game -- The drumbeat for war -- Ultimatums -- The fortunes of war -- Marching to Pretoria -- Scorched earth -- The bitter end -- Envoi -- The Sunnyside strategy -- Vukani Bantu! -- The Black Ordinance -- The sphinx problem -- Epilogue.
Summary
A history of the tumultuous period leading up to the 1910 founding of the modern state of South Africa explores how the discovery of vast diamond and gold deposits led to a fierce struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the region.
