The mfecane led to the creation of strong centralised new states that is, the zulu under shaka, ngwane under sobhuza, ngoni states, ndebele and kololo. Mfecane also known by the sesotho name difaqane or lifaqane was a period of widespread chaos and warfare among indigenous ethnic communities in southern africa. Much of the current historical research on southern africa has fo cused on the. Basotho wars 1858 1868 south african history online. The mfecanedifaqane problem from the documentary record. The historiographical development of the concept mfecane and the writing of early southern african history, from the 1820s to. Political changes from 1750 to 1835 south african history. Mfecane was the period of widespreading warfare plundening disturbances 1. This area to the east of the drakensbergs and the eastern escarpment benefits from prevailing winds off the indian ocean. These movement to a great extent, determined the present state formations in the. Clans fleeing the zulu war zone included the soshangane, zwangendaba, ndebele, hlubi, ngwane, and the mfengu.
It took another fifty years for the struggle between afrikaners and british to be settled with the formation of the union of south africa in 1910 and a further eighty six years. By 100,000bc the san people had settle in southern africa. The crushing series of zulu and other nguni wars and. The sotho refers to the mfecane as the defecane or lifaquane, which means forced migration. Effects of mfecane on the peoples of southern, central and eastern africa. The mfecane had a long lasting impact on the history of southern africa. Refugee groups fleeing shakas army caused destruction in the area, and this was followed by further devastation by the zulu warriors. The attacking mthethwa army was driven south after dingiswayo was captured and put to death. The debate on the mfecane that erupted following the publication in. Coined the term mfecane in the zulu aftermath in 1966. He believed that africans naturally waged barbarous tribal wars until the arrival of. Mfecane war south african history consists of a series of events that took place during the early 19 century in south africa. A hotly contested issue in the debate on south africas mfecane which enlivened.
The mfecane influenced southern africa from the cape colony to. The zulu nation covered the area marked in black on the map and. The mfecane was a period of chaos and indigenous tribal warfare in south africa that saw the near depopulation of the region from 1815 to around 1840 timeframe. Kwazulu natal was the part of south africa that suffered most devastation during the mfecane. From about 50,000bc groups of san people migrate out southern africa eventually giving rise apparently to modern man in the rest of the world. From the tales of the war and their fame in nguniland. Jun 06, 2012 in the 1970s the mfecane has become the most widely used terms in south african history and historical literature. Effects of mfecane on the peoples of southern, central and eastern africa the mfecane had a long lasting impact on the history of southern africa. In the cape colony it greatly increased pressures on the eastern frontier as refugees known as mfengu crowded in on the peoples of the transkei. Enlargement of a section of a 1885 map of south africa showing geographical details of zululand and natal rise of the zulu people under king shaka zulu after the mfecane, the black peoples were living in an area shaped like a horseshoe.
The war degenerated from a white mans battle between the british and the boers into a regional conflict that affected all the inhabitants of the land, civilians included. Apr 02, 2018 this map illustrates the rise of the zulu empire under shaka 18161828 in presentday south africa. Political changes from 1750 to 1835 south african history online. Accepted idea was that the radical political and social changes among the bantu societies were caused by the expansion of the zulu kingdom under shaka zulu. The great trek is regarded by afrikaners as a central event of their 19thcentury history and the origin of their nationhood. Mfecane historiography has separated the advent of the fingo. Other nguni tribes fled and settled in other areas during this time which is known as the mfecane period. South africa the mfecane went from strength to strength. Mfecane african history britannica encyclopedia britannica.
The argument requires careful reference to the maps. The history of man in south africa covers such a vast period of time that it is difficult to know. How large a responsibility do shaka and the zulu people bear for the social turbulence in south central and south east africa in the early decades of the 19th century. The unresolved debate on the mfecane in southern african history has been marked by general acceptance of the proposition that large scale loss of life and disruption of settled society was experienced across the. Some astonishingly selective use or actual invention of evidence produced the myth of an internallyinduced process of blackonblack destruction centring on shakas zulu. The effects of mfecane can be grouped into positive and negative effects. The area most affected by the mfecane and zulu expansion was kwazulu natal. African resistance to the boers, the rise of the zulu peoples and their expansion northwards at the expense of other bantu groups. Brief history of south africa, from prehistoric to post apartheid. Map 2 mfecane in the 1823 to 1838 period chapter 2 30 map 3 thompsons map.
From about 500ad bantu speaking people from central and eastern africa had migrated into south. Mfecane and its effects on bantu societies mike schepker. This course is a survey of the history of southern africa, the region of the continent which today includes the nations of south africa, zimbabwe, botswana, namibia, mozambique, angola, zambia and malawi. Mfecane in south africa and the african holocaust in general. The ndebele moved in 1840 to what is now south western zimbabwe. Mfecane and southern africa c 3 what was the mfecane and how did it affect southern a\ufb01iea what was the social structure of american slavebased. The mfecane is a characteristic product of south african liberal history used by the apartheid state to legitimate south africa s racially unequal land division. A n e is a tenacious and stillevolving multiple theme in the historio graphy of the apartheid state. Also during that period saw the growth of trade and the establishment of several european colonies. Mfecane was the period of widespreading warfare plundening. Dec 11, 2011 in the 1970s the mfecane has become the most widely used terms in south african history and historical literature.
Effects of mfecane on southern and central africa free. This map illustrates the rise of the zulu empire under shaka 18161828 in present day south africa. The mfecane is thought to be a massive upheaval and devastation of nguni tribal chiefdoms in the second decade of the 19th century in what is now kwazulunatal and the eastern cape of south africa. The confusion among the mthethwa opened the way for a new and even more powerful leader shaka. Great trek, afrikaans groot trek, the emigration of some 12,000 to 14,000 boers from cape colony in south africa between 1835 and the early 1840s, in rebellion against the policies of the british government and in search of fresh pasturelands. Mfecane refers to a period of political disruption and population migration in southern africa which occurred during the 1820s and 1830s. The early history of south africailovepdfcompressed.
Grade 10 transformations in southern africa after 1750. Finally, it contains a brand new introduction south africa 1899, iraq 2003. Mfecane is an nguni word which means crushing and was used by the nguni to describe the violent wars that tore apart central and southern africa between 1820 and1835. Many of its effects were negative and destructive, others were positive and constructive. The total south african casualties during the war was about 18,600.
Mfecane and southern africa c 3 what was the mfecane and. The south african war of 18991902, the first major military clash of the 20th century is a prime example of asymmetric conflict. The historiographical development of the concept mfecane. Reconstructive debates in southern african history. The mfecane and its effects publish your masters thesis. The zulu kingdom and the mfecane saint marys university. Map 3 thompsons map, 1827 44 map 4 mfecane in the 1839 to 1876 period chapter 3 70 map 5 harriss map, 1839 76 map 6 mfecane in the 1877 to 1904 period chapter 4 106 map 7 theals map, 1891 127 map 8 mfecane in the 1905 to 1928 period chapter 5 143. Its a private tour so you wont find it commercially. Together with the mfecane, this is the most devastating war in the history of south africa. Pdf on jun 1, 1998, pamela scully and others published carolyn hamilton, editor. Eventually war between the mthethwa and the ndwande broken out in 1817. The mfecne resulted in the death of so many people and destruction of property.
In south africa itself the mfecane caused immense suffering and. Nguni, cluster of related bantuspeaking ethnic groups living in south africa, swaziland, and zimbabwe, whose ancestors inhabited a broad band of upland territory extending from the great fish river, in what is now eastern cape province, northward to kosi bay, near the border of kwazulunatal. A time perhaps not as brutal as the original mfecane, where untold numbers of people were slain in brutal conquest, but potentially just as disruptive. From one angle the mfecane was the nguni diaspora which from the. Jun 21, 2018 south africa faces a time of strife that we would like to ignore. This worksheet answers questions about the mfecane war in south africa such as when did mfecane war started, why mfecane war, what is mfecane war and its causes, why mfecane spread so far, and more. Since the 1990s, we have faced veritable civil war levels of violent crime. These are some of the issues explored in this collection, which is designed as a response to. Causes of the mfecane essay example 867 words cram. Eldredge michigan state university during the i820s the entire region of southern africa was affected directly or indirectly by tremendous demographic upheaval and revolutionary social and political change. The awful parallels by arthur kemp, which details the jewish lobbys role in inciting the iraq war, using forgery, lies, deception and mass mediafollowing the exact pattern used in the runup to the boer war. Mfecane the image of africa and the land question by toby chance august 20 on february th 20, dr pieter mulder of the freedom front plus and deputy minister of agriculture, gave a speech in parliament inflaming a decadesold debate. The movement of south africa essay in 1994, the antiapartheid movement in south africa, after three decades of resistance, succeeded in ending an oppressive, unpopular regime in order to make way for south africas first democratic government. A guide for interpreting the mfecane s role in history was the mfecane a figment of historians imagination as julian cobbing contends.
Explore the fascinating and extraordinary history of south africa, from its earliest inhabitants to the post apartheid era. History 8b mfecane, mines and mandela professor burke fall 2006. Characterized by violence, racial differences and diversity, south africa s history is inseparably entwined with the history of the african continent. Mfecane was unquestioned fact of southern africa until the 1980s. South africa assisted the allied war effort by capturing the two german colonies of german west africa and german east africa, as well as participating in battles in western europe and the middle east.
The causes of the mfecane were emerging by the end of the eighteenth century, when population levels increased rapidly, and ecological resources were sometimes scarce. The tswana and pedi lived in the west and the venda, shangaan, tsonga and swazi lived in the north. When you have eliminated the javascript, whatever remains must be an empty page. Statebuilding in natal the northern nguni lived in modern day natal and zululand. Map 2 mfecane in the 1823 to 1838 period chapter 2 30 map 3 thompsons map, 1827 44. The history of the continent from an african perspective. The mfecane movement in south africa essay theories. Shaka zulu refined this system and forged the strongest army in southern africa. South africa faces a time of strife that we would like to ignore. This also caused conflict over cattle, grain and water, which eventually led to war. Aug 30, 2011 the mfecane was a period of chaos and indigenous tribal warfare in south africa that saw the near depopulation of the region from 1815 to around 1840 timeframe. South africa dutch territory boers british seize it in 1795 bc of european balance of power imperial france occupies the netherlandsbritish brought effective tax systembritish cape frontier wars more successful than those previously waged by the boers due to standing army. In south africa itself the mfecane caused immense suffering and devastated large areas as refugees scrambled to safety in mountain fastnesses or were killed, thus easing the way for white expansion into natal and the highveld. This map illustrates the rise of the zulu empire under shaka 18161828 in presentday south africa.
The three basotho wars 185868 and the formation of lesotho. With hundreds of pages, and multimedia, the bbc investigates the events and characters that have made african history from the origins of. Agu the 19th century africa witnessed a number of cataclysmic upheavals that led to massive population movements and readjustment of the map of the continent. The rise of the zulu empire under shaka forced other chiefdoms and clans to flee across a wide area of southern africa. First theory presented on the mfecane was written by historian george mccall theal. Nov 27, 2009 mfecane in south africa and the african holocaust in general. Brief history of south africa, from prehistoric to post. Mfecane was the period of widespreading warfare plundening disturbances, destruction andmigrations in zulu land and in some other parts of south africa.
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