History: The Mineral Revolution In South Africa

Which areas did Britain control?

Cape Colony and Natal.

Which two colonies did Britain control before expanding?

Cape Colony and Natal.

What was the diamond-rich area originally called?

Griqualand West.

Who legally owned the land according to a court case?

The Griqua people.

Who was the leader of the Griqua people?

Nicholas Waterboer.

Why did the Griqua leader lose control of Kimberley?

Rapid population growth caused fights between different groups.

In what year did Britain take over Griqualand West?

1872.

Why did Britain take over the land?

Nicholas Waterboer asked them for help to restore order.

What happened to the Griqua people after the British takeover?

They became labourers on land they used to own.

What does the word "annexed" mean?

Took over.

What does "economy" mean?

The way a country makes money

Why did the town of Kimberley grow so rapidly?

People from all over the world rushed there to make their fortunes after diamonds were discovered.

How did ownership of the diamond fields change over time?

Large companies took over many individual claims and became more powerful.

Which specific mining company had a lot of power?

De Beers Consolidated Mines.

Why did large mining companies hold so much power?

They contributed a lot of money to the economy.

What was a compound?

A high-walled building for workers to sleep and eat.

What was a hut tax?

Money paid to the government for each hut.

What was a reserve?

A designated area where Black people were meant to live.

Why did mine owners want to control workers strictly?

To secure cheap, steady labor and reduce expenses.

What two systems did mine owners use to control workers?

Migrant labor and closed compounds.

What is the migrant labor system?

Workers leaving home to work elsewhere for part of the year.

What is urbanization?

Families leaving rural areas to live in towns.

What did women and children do during migrant labor?

They stayed home and farmed the land.

Why did many African people refuse mine work at first?

They had independent farms and traded to survive.

How did white authorities force people into migrant labor?

They introduced a mandatory hut tax.

What is the pass system?

When black people had to carry a pass to show that they were allowed to be in an area

What were closed compounds?

Buildings where migrant miners slept and ate.

Who lived in closed compounds?

Migrant mine workers.

Name two physical features of these compounds.

• High walls surrounding the buildings.

• Guarded doors for entry and exit.

Where did the compound passages lead?

Straight to the mine.

What was the main reason compounds were introduced?

To control diamond theft.

Why were diamonds easy to steal?

They were very small.

What happened to miners after their shifts?

They were searched for stolen diamonds.

Why did compounds make workers easier to control?

Workers had no contact with the outside world.

How did compounds increase mine efficiency?

They ensured workers were always on time.

How did owners respond to worker resistance?

They hired new workers who accepted the rules.

Why is gold rare and highly valuable to many societies?

It is a beautiful metal used to show wealth.

What physical property prevents gold from destroying itself over time?

It does not rust or corrode.

State three reasons why gold was used as coins.

• It is valuable.

• It is easy to transport.

• It is hard to fake.

What did banknotes originally represent in the banking system?

A specific amount of real gold.

How did the discovery of gold change South Africa?

It changed South Africa from a poor, weak country of farmers into a busy, industrial nation that produced much of the world's gold.

where was gold discovered on a Transvaal farm?

on a farm on the Witwatersrand.

What city quickly grew to become the biggest city in the Transvaal?

Johannesburg

What is "deep-level mining"?

It is the process of mining gold that is found underground, trapped inside rock called ore.

Why is deep-level gold mining very expensive?

It requires expensive machinery to dig deep mines, bring miners and ore up to the surface, crush the rock, and pump fresh air underground.

Why was working underground extremely dangerous for miners?

There were very few safety measures in place, which led to many miner deaths from unexpected rock falls and blasts(explosions).

What caused many underground miners to develop fatal lung diseases?

Miners constantly breathed in poisonous fumes and dust while working in the enclosed underground spaces.

Why did miners struggle to recover when they became sick?

Mine owners provided very little health care, and the miners did not have access to good, healthy food to help their bodies heal.

Who were the Randlords?

Wealthy men who became powerful by buying up South African goldfields and diamond fields.

Why did the Randlords form the Chamber of Mines in 1887?

To work together to protect their business interests and maximize their profits.

How did the Chamber of Mines decide to cut their production costs?

They chose to cut labor costs by utilizing the migrant labor system.

How did the Transvaal government help the Chamber of Mines get cheap labor?

The government introduced taxes that forced African people to become migrant workers to earn money

Where did gold mine owners get their methods and ideas for controlling mine workers?

They borrowed them from the diamond mines in Kimberley.

what three things did the richest diamond miners bring with them when they moved to the Witwatersrand gold fields?

• Capital (money)

• Mining experience

• Ideas on how to control mine workers to increase production

What was the purpose of the pass system?

To control workers and manage migrant labour.

Why were gold mine compounds not closed?

Gold could not be stolen easily like diamonds.

Who was forced to live in compounds?

Only black miners lived in the compounds.

What were compound living conditions like?

They were crowded, cheap, and lacked privacy.

Why did women in the reserves have to look after the families on their own?

Under the migrant labor system, boys and men left the reserves to work in the mines. They only returned permanently when they were too old to work, leaving women behind to run the households.

What were the specific responsibilities of women living in the reserves?

Women were responsible for feeding, clothing, and educating the children. They also had to care for the elderly and sick family members who were unable to work in the mines.

Why did women living in the reserves have to find paid work?

Migrant workers sent very little money home. Farming and raising animals were not enough to support the families.

How did the migrant labor system cause families to break down?

Children rarely saw their fathers. Men often started new families in towns. Marriages broke down, leaving rural families even poorer.

Why did white miners earn more money than black miners?

White miners were given skilled jobs. These included carpentry and drilling. They also worked as supervisors.

How did laws change for Indian people after 1900?

• Laws became much harsher. Indian people could only rent property. They lived in crowded, dirty compounds.

What were three ways miners resisted bad working conditions before they were organized?

They deserted their jobs, broke tools or worked slow and found alternative jobs

Why was it difficult and risky for a migrant miner to desert their job?

The migrant labour system was very strict. If a miner deserted, he would lose his identification pass, face arrest, and be treated as a criminal.

How did the introduction of trade unions after 1900 impact mine safety?

More trade unions were allowed after 1900, which gave workers the rights to protest dangerous conditions, leading to safer mines and fewer underground deaths.