HIST 382 Chapter reading: Reading Diamonds, Gold and British Imperialism
6 Feb 2019
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The rate of change in many parts of southern africa accelerated dramatically under the impact of external and internal forces. The peak of british imperialism coincided with the identification and exploitation of prolific deposits of diamonds and gold. By the end of the century, south africa had become for the first time, a significant contributor to the world economy. Most of the capital invested came from overseas. There were coal mines, dynamite factories and several smaller industrial establishments that produced commodities required by the core mining industries. African and white farmers supplied grain and meat to the new markets. The government of the cape colony and natal vied with each other to share the wealth by improving their port facilities and constructing railroads from kimberly to. Whites were also conquering african communities that have previously preserved their independence in southern. Whites were incorporating africans into a capitalist, white dominated economy.
