![]() the most important event to change this and to stimulate the growth of Afrikaner nationalism was the British annexation of the South African Republic (Transvaal) in 1877 by Theophilus Shepstone. ![]() There was no sense of national identity to bridge the social gap. moreover, Afrikaners in the Cape, especially in the western province areas and Cape Town, while recognising a degree of kinship with the trekboers and Voortrekkers, regarded them as rather uncouth and wild. However, they always united against the Africans, and in their skirmishes with each other, they avoided shooting each other. There, personal loyalties to individual leaders often took precedence over group identity, and Orange Free Staters at times feuded with Transvaalers. Factionalism was very strong among the Voortrekkers, especially those who crossed the Vaal River. ![]() However, there was no dominant sense of national identity. ![]() The trekboers certainly had important feelings of group identity: a belief that they were not only different but also superior to the indigenous peoples, a sense of difference from the British, and an abhorrence of the so-called ‘liberal’ policies in the Cape Colony. although many Afrikaner historians have contended that Afrikaner nationalism began much earlier and was an important factor in the Great Trek, this idea was shot down by F van Jaarsveld in The Awakening of Afrikaner Nationalism. 11 The Origins of Afrikaner Nationalism Home
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