  Turygin-vestnik-2026-3-ru.pdf |
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- The Second Boer War as a strategy for public mobilisation of the Pan-German League
- Turygin A.A The Second Boer War as a strategy for public mobilization of the Pan-German League. Vestnik of Kostroma State University, 2026, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 66–74. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.34216/1998-0817-2026-32-3-66-74
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.34216/1998-0817-2026-32-3-66-74
- УДК: 94(430)”1899/1902”
- EDN: VIUQUG
- Publish date: 2026-09-01
- Annotation: The Second Boer War (1899–1902) is viewed as a strategy for the internal mobilisation of German society, which had been carefully planned by the Pan-German League, rather than a mere colonial war. This shift in focus from the point of view of traditional assessments of a colonial war appears fundamentally new for German and foreign historiography. Against a backdrop of rising international tensions, German nationalists saw the war as an opportunity to exert non-political pressure on the imperial government. To achieve this goal, a pragmatic approach was chosen, aimed at winning broad public support. Its essence lay in the active promotion of the thesis of the priority of national interests over any private interests, be they party, religious, or class. This skillful play on feelings of national unity bore fruit, manifested in an increase in the Pan-German League’s membership and the strengthening of its position in society. However, this success also had a downside, giving rise to internal contradictions within the organisation. Some sections of the Pan-German League’s leadership saw provoking confrontation with the government as a dangerous and reckless path that could lead to unpredictable consequences for its members. At the same time, another, more radical faction insisted on using the Pan-German League’s increased popularity to transform it into an effective public pressure group.
- Keywords: Second Boer War, colonialism, international relations, foreign policy, nationalism, Pan-German League, national interests, propaganda and agitation.
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