Theodor Mommsen and the Liberal Opposition to British Imperialism at the time of the Second South African War of Independence (1899-1902)

Abstract

The German ancient historian, Theodor Mommsen, was widely admired in 19th-century British society. It came as shock then when Mommsen trenchantly condemned the British declaration of war against the Boer Republics in 1899. The force of this critique was underscored when the Swedish Nobel Prize committee awarded Mommsen the award for literature in 1902 much to the surprise of many, including Mommsen himself. Mommsen's high-profile attack on the war was in part based on his sympathy for what he called the ‘little German republics’ in South Africa and his views coincided with the intensely nationalistic fervour in both England and Germany at the time of the ‘scramble for Africa’ that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I. However, Mommsen's views were shared by British Liberals, one of whom, the Australian-born Gilbert Murray, who later played a vital role in the foundation of the League of Nations, and who was a critic of South African labour practices, happened to be a Classicist. The views of these men contrast with those of the later National Socialists in Germany, who admired and later emulated the ruthless tactics of Cecil John Rhodes and his associates.