Moscow, Nauka Publishing House. 1970. 212 pp. The print run is 1,700. Price 89 kopecks.

The Anglo-Boer War occupies an important place in the history of modern times. V. I. Lenin emphasized its significance as one of the first wars of the imperialist era. 1 The challenges of studying this dramatic struggle are important for understanding the subsequent development of South Africa.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, several very superficial works were published on this topic. In Soviet historiography-

1 See V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 30, p. 164.

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The Anglo-Boer War was considered only in general works on the history of international relations. Only two short books by V. M. Voronkov and M. Tsetlin, as well as an article by V. D. Kulbakin2, are devoted specifically to this topic . The situation has improved somewhat in recent years. General works on the history of Africa appeared, which focused on the problems associated with the Anglo-Boer War3 . Studies have been published that analyze specific issues in the history of South Africa in the years leading up to the war .4 However, this is still a small amount compared to the vast literature on the Boer War that exists in bourgeois historiography. All this indicates the timely appearance of the book by I. A. Nikitina, in fact, the first Soviet work covering the entire range of issues related to the Anglo-Boer War. I. A. Nikitina used materials from the Archive of Foreign Policy of Russia (AVPR), publications of documents (Russian, English, French, German), articles from magazines and newspapers various countries and extensive literature in Russian and foreign languages. The book covers the expansionist policy of England at the end of the XIX century in South Africa in general and in the Boer republics in particular, the rivalry of the great powers, the internal problems of the South African states, the economic, political and diplomatic background of the war, the course of military operations, the attitude of various strata of British society, bourgeois parties, the working class, the position of Africans and Afrikaners Finally, the social and economic consequences of the British takeover of the Boer Republics. A historiographical introduction and bibliography complete the presentation.

The book deals with the little-studied question of the attitude of the indigenous African population to war. Bourgeois historians, as a rule, do not touch on this issue, or they implicitly attribute pro-English sympathies to Africans, and at best speak of the neutral position of the indigenous population. The author not only convincingly reveals the reasons for the hostility of Africans to the Boers and the British, but also examines the position of the colonialists, rightly emphasizing the commonality of their interests. The fear of African intervention led to the tacit collusion of white colonialists against Africans, even during the war. During the Anglo-Boer War, both sides, fearing the Africans, refrained from arming them or did so only as a last resort. Similar solidarity between the warring colonialists has been shown before in South Africa (the cooperation of the British and Boers in the war with Dingaan, which developed during the Anglo-Boer conflict caused by the mass withdrawal of Boers from the Cape Colony). "The brutal colonial oppression of the Boers against the Africans," writes IA. Nikitin, - ruled out the possibility of widespread African support for the Boers in the war against the British invaders and, consequently, was an important reason for the Boer defeat in this war. There was a similar reason, which excluded the possibility of the majority of Africans supporting the British colonialists in this war " (p. 85).

The book also shows the attitude of Afrikaners to the war, in particular, for the first time in our literature, the Afrikaners ' uprising, which began in December 1899 in Natal and covered certain districts of the Cape Colony, is studied. The author thoroughly analyzes the stages of the Uitlanders ' economic and political struggle and their growing desire to seize power in the Transvaal. I. A. Nikitin specifically examines the attitude of various circles of English society, including the Conservative Party and liberal groups, to the war. At the same time, the author analyzes the positions of left-wing liberals, in particular the speeches of D. Lloyd George, who, " protesting against the war... however, he did not demand that England renounce the seizure of the Boer republics, " but

2 V. M. Voronkov. The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). M. 1933; M. Tsetlin. Boer War for Independence (1899-1902). M. 1940; V. Kulbakin. Anglobur War (1899-1902). "Military-historical journal", 1941, N 1.

3 "The history of Africa in the XIX-early XX centuries", Moscow, 1967; "Africa". Encyclopedic reference book. Tt. 1-2. Moscow, 1963.

4 A. S. Yerusalimsky. German Imperialism and the emergence of the Anglo-Boer War in 1899 "From the History of Social Movements and International Relations", Moscow, 1957; A. B. Davidson. Matabele and Mashona in the struggle against English colonization. Moscow, 1958; his. Creation of a British South African company. "Imperialism and the Struggle of the working class", Moscow, 1960; I. A. Nikitina. The United States and the Anglobur War. "New and Recent History", 1960, N 1; L. E. Kertman. The Anglobur War and the English working class. "Scientific Notes" of Perm University, vol. 21, issue 4, 1962, as well as the works of the author of these lines.

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he advocated their incorporation into the British Empire and the granting of dominion rights (p. 95). Thus, it was a condemnation not of the goals, but of the ways in which the aggressive policy of England was carried out. A special section of the book is devoted to the attitude of the British working class towards the Boer War. If we add that the book analyzes the position taken by Germany during the war, as well as the attitude of France, Russia, Holland and the United States to the war, then we can say that the problem of war as a whole has been studied quite comprehensively.

Speaking about the Boer struggle, the author does not idealize them, does not forget about their racism, Kulak narrow-mindedness and aggressive colonial aspirations. However, the latter question should have been approached more dialectically, considering it in its development. At the height of the war, when the Boers were fighting for independence against the British Empire, the aggressive goals of the Boer colonialists (the creation of a Great Republic of South Africa, etc.) receded into the background.

In the historiographic field. the introduction, which is less successful in comparison with other sections of the book, does not pay enough attention to Russian works, in some cases only the names of authors and titles of their works are given, without their evaluation. The positions of bourgeois historians are not always considered differentially. For example, J. Fitzpatrick's views reflected the sentiments of the Johannessburg Uitlander elite and in some cases differed from the views of J. Chamberlain's biographer J. L. Garvin5, but both authors are listed by I. A. Nikitina in the general list of those who spoke "with an apology for the policy of England in South Africa in the late XIX-early XX centuries" (p. 6-7). Speaking about the works published "after the Second World War", when "English bourgeois historians intensified the preaching of neo-colonialist ideas" (p. 9), the author mentions for some reason both books by H. E. Egerton. But Egerton's first work, to which I. A. Nikitina refers, is " A Brief History of British Colonial Policy. 1606-1909", published in 1941, that is, at the height of the Second World War, and another - "British colonial policy in the XX century" - was published in 19226 .

The so-called "Jamson raid" (an unsuccessful attempt by an English armed group to seize power in the Republic of South Africa in 1895) is an important milestone not only in the history of South Africa, but also in international relations, and a few lines devoted to this incident in the book are certainly not enough. After all, the author himself writes that the failure of this adventure "was perceived by the ruling circles of England as proof that war was necessary to capture the Republic of South Africa" (p. 37).

Using data in various currencies (pounds, francs, guilders), the author does not attempt to compare them at least in some cases, and therefore such data is not always convincing. Objecting to the widespread opinion in English historiography that Queen Victoria was opposed to the Anglo-Boer War, I. A. Nikitina quotes an excerpt from the throne speech delivered on January 30, 1900. But after all, the throne speech reflected the opinion of the cabinet and could not coincide with the personal opinion of the monarch (p. 42).

There are several inaccuracies in the book. In the Transvaal, for example, the Commanding General (Commander-in-Chief) was constitutionally elected at the same time as the President by a general vote, not just by "Boer men and officers" (p.53). Speaking about the appearance of slaves in the Cape Colony, the author mentions only Africans "taken captive by the colonialists during the armed struggle for land "(p. 12), while the first slaves were exported (and were subsequently exported) from Indonesia and East Africa. Describing in some detail the privileges granted to the British South Africa Company, the author does not mention such a significant privilege as the right to maintain its own armed forces, to have its own flag. It is a pity that the book lacks maps, diagrams, and pointers.

5 J. P. Fitz Patrick. The Transvaal from Within. L. 1900; J. L. Garvin. The Life of Joseph Chamberlain. Vol. 1 - 3. L. 1932 - 1934.

6 H. E. Egerton. A Short History of British Colonial Policy 1606 - 1909. L. 1941; ejusd. British Colonial Policy in the XX Century. L. 1922.

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