The peace negotiations between the governments of the South African Republic and

Velden, D. E. vanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 1.8

Word count: 420K words
Chapters: 43

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The peace negotiations between the governments of the South African Republic andAuthor: Velden, D. E. van,Language: English, Class: DT: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa, Release Date: Dec 14, 2008

Editor's review

This document concerns the peace negotiations involving the government of the South African Republic and belongs to the primary-source literature of diplomatic and colonial history. Its value for readers lies in the positions stated, the exchange of terms, and the political maneuvering that the negotiations reveal; from it one can observe how the conflicts in southern Africa at the turn of the twentieth century were handled at the diplomatic table. The text is in English, carries the language and official-document style of its period, and concentrates its information in clauses, declarations, and correspondence records rather than narrative exposition. For researchers it can be read alongside works on the relevant military and imperial history to verify the course of events and the claims of the parties; for the general reader it is more like an archive requiring patient deciphering. Because information on the author and the circumstances of composition is limited, it is best treated as a historical source rather than an introduction to general history: read introductory or background material first, then return to the text to check details, marking the timeline and each party’s demands as you go so as not to lose the thread in dense official prose.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of southern African history and the Anglo-Boer War who need to consult primary materials on the negotiations
Students of colonial and diplomatic history using it as a source for papers or topical reading
Advanced history readers interested in the political configuration of Africa at the end of the nineteenth century
Writers or compilers who need to verify the course of the negotiations and the declarations of the parties

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers hoping for popular historical narrative or biography
Readers without a background in southern African history who need a general history first
Readers expecting literary expression or light reading

Reading tips

Read background material on the Anglo-Boer War and the South African Republic before turning to the negotiation text.
Organize the timeline and each party’s core demands as you read to keep the course of the negotiations in view.
Excerpt clauses and exchanged declarations by category and cross-check them against other sources.
In dense official passages, skim for conclusive statements first, then return to the details.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which negotiations does this material mainly concern?

It concerns peace negotiations involving the government of the South African Republic and forms part of the diplomatic process in the later stages of the conflict in southern Africa. The specific stage, participants, and terms must be determined from the text itself; read it alongside relevant historical background to establish its place in the overall process and avoid over-inferring from the title alone.

Can someone without a background in southern African history read it?

Yes, but it will be demanding. The text consists of official documents and negotiation records without narrative groundwork, so readers must supply the background on people and events themselves. Read a short history of the Anglo-Boer War or the South African Republic first to establish a timeline and the main figures, then return to the original; comprehension will be much smoother.

Is this the author’s personal account or an official record?

Judging by the title and the nature of the content, it is closer to a compilation or record of negotiation-related documents than to a personal memoir. Readers should use it as a historical source, distinguish each party’s stated position from factual statements, and cross-check specific claims against other sources.

Is it suitable as source material for citation in a paper?

It can be cited as a historical source, but attention must be paid to edition information and the nature of the text. Before citing, confirm the location of the specific clause or declaration and compare it with other primary materials, so as not to treat a unilateral statement in negotiation as established fact. It is advisable to state the source and the limits of its use in the paper.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Velden, D. E. van Author

D. E. van Velden is an author about whom very little is publicly known; records preserve only the name and a small number of writings, while the dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background cannot be reliably established. Only one work by this author is currently held in the collection, namely The peace negotiations between the governments of the South African Republic and..., whose title indicates that it deals with the peace negotiations involving the government of the South African Republic and belongs to documentary writing centered on a specific historical event. Works of this kind generally emphasize the course of negotiations, the positions of the parties involved, and the use of documentary sources rather than literary elaboration. Because the surviving records are so sparse, both scholars and general readers still know very little about the author and the work, and its value remains to be further explored and assessed.