South Africa

The military history of South Africa—a country at the southern tip of Africa—stretches far beyond the colonial period, but only after the expansion of British and Afrikaner rule in what would become the Republic of South Africa is its military history more easily defined. From the British response to indigenous and European threats to security in the region, to the transition to self-rule and apartheid during the 20th century, to the eventual overthrow of apartheid and the creation of a free South Africa, the military history of the nation has been defined by conquest, collaboration, and divergent goals.

Although the European military presence in South Africa began with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company post at Cape Town, it was the Boer or voortrekker ...