Jul 04, 2019 the mfecane was partly caused by changes in the nguni groups that resulted in the development of the zulu nation. Topic discuss the causes of the mfecane, taking into consideration the variety of historiography on this event. Reconstructive debates in southern african history. The mfecane was now perceived as being no different from the wars fought between whites and african chiefdoms and kingdoms in the pre and postmfecane era. Aug 09, 2019 the mfecane was partly caused by changes in the nguni groups that resulted in the development of the zulu nation. Southern africa central connecticut state university.
Initial assumptions that a population explosion led to transformations of indigenous state structures hang limply in the absence of eidence. Mfecane is an nguni word which means crushing and was used by the nguni to describe the violent wars that tore apart central and southern africa between 1820 and1835. Causes of the mfecane essay example 867 words cram. When tracing the causes of the mfecane the net was cast wider. Stronger leaders began to absorb weaker groups around them. Intensification of mfecane after a series of attacks by shaka, many states began to adopt his military tactics so that they are able to defend themselves, for example, the ngwane and hlubi the states began attacking each other and this intensified the mfecane. Rapid population growth resulted on competition for land which was needed for agricultural, grazing and residential purposes. Thedifaqanewars around the area of the later transvaalorange free state are usually. The word mfecane is derived from xhosa term ukufaca to become a thing from hunger and fetocanic starring intruders. But factors had shown that mfecane was not caused by one factor but various reasons which include the participation of the european slavery,the emergency of.
Mfecane historiography has separated the advent of the fingo. The crushing, sotho difaqane, series of zulu and other nguni wars and forced migrations of the second and third decades of the 19th century that changed the demographic, social, and political configuration of southern and central africa and parts of eastern africa. It is worth speculating why mulder used the lesserknown version in his speech. Background mfecane was a ngoni word used to describe times of trouble, forced migration of various people from southeastern parts of present south africa to other parts of south, central and east africa. Early history of south africa universitas airlangga. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Some of the key battles of ww1 were the battle of marne 19141918, battle of ypres 1914,1915 and 1917,the battle of somme 1916, battle of cambria and the famous battle of verdun 1916. Based on the historiography covering this event, historians believed many elements caused the mfecane. The mfecane, it was maintained, had a major impact on the history of south, central, and east africa. Before this problems between groups had been insignificant, but larger tribes meant larger conflicts. Many of its effects were negative and destructive, others were positive and constructive. The zulu kingdom and the mfecane saint marys university.
The ranksize curve for southeast africa should be convex in both periods since such an analysis is, according to the settler model, compounding many settlement systems. There are varying theories on the ultimate causes of this catastrophic, bloody migration of many different tribes in the area. These individuals were the nguni speaking and sotho speaking people of southern africa. African resistance to the boers, the rise of the zulu peoples and their expansion northwards at the expense of other bantu groups. The military inventions of the zulu state spread into different parts of central and southern africa. Thousands of refugees fled as shaka expanded his territory and power through wars this caused a chain reaction of plundering and chaos as.
The story of africa is a twenty four part narrative history of. Some astonishingly selective use or actual invention of evidence produced the myth of an internallyinduced process of blackonblack destruction centring on shakas zulu. As he built up a large military empire in southeastern africa, he forced many conquered. Show the effects both positive and negative conclude. Statebuilding in natal the northern nguni lived in modern day natal and zululand. The mfecane, he has maintained, was in origin a colonial myth to conceal white wrongdoing and justify land expropriation. Aug 30, 2011 the mfecane was a period of chaos and indigenous tribal warfare in south africa that saw the near depopulation of the region from 1815 to around 1840 timeframe. The sotho refers to the mfecane as the defecane or lifaquane, which means forced migration. This study examines how mfecane history was written from the first published articles in mid1823 until walker coined the concept mfecane in 1928. The areas that became vacantincluded half the future orange free state, all of the transvaal and natal. Between approximately 1815 and 1830, different black groups clashed with one other. The historiographical development of the concept mfecane.
Mfecane was the period of widespreading warfare plundening. Jun 07, 2016 african resistance to the boers, the rise of the zulu peoples and their expansion northwards at the expense of other bantu groups. Among the causes of the mfecane include overpopulation, refugee problems and drought and famine. The title was a play on the name of john omercoopers 1966 publication,the zulu aftermath. The impact of the mfecane on the cape colony essay example. Moreover, the edifice of mfecane theory is precariously poised on a deficient. As a general, he successfully defeated assaults on thaba bosiu by matiwane ngwane 1827, tlokwa 1829 and ndebele 1831.
The mfecane was now perceived as being no different from the wars fought between whites and african chiefdoms and kingdoms in the pre and post mfecane era. Climate and the mfecane article pdf available in south african journal of science 11056. Effects of mfecane on southern and central africa free. Mfecane was a deliberate falsification by europeans to blame the violence and disorder on the african people in an effort to avoid accountability for the impact of the slave trade and justify taking african land. Revived by wellintentioned africanist historians in the 1960s the concept has subsequently been exploited to justify aspects of apartheid. The mfecane essay sample free college essay examples.
The mfecane was set in motion by the rise of the zulu military kingdom under shaka c. The debate on the mfecane that erupted following the publication in. The mfecane spread from there, leading to the formation and consolidation of other groups such as the matable, the mfengu and the makololoand the creation of states such as the modern lesotho wikipedia, 2008. Noble 4th 325 world war one had many key players, countries and empires being great britain, france, german, austriahungary and russia. Communities that previously had often spread across the countryside or had repeatedly divided and moved along the frontier became more settled and more concentrated. A social and economic history of the african people of. Forging the chains the notion that the wars of shaka affected the whole of the eastern half of southern africa and. If julian cobbing is right in his contention that the root causes of the mfecane lie not in the zulu. The mfecane led to the creation of strong centralised new states that is, the zulu under shaka, ngwane under sobhuza, ngoni states, ndebele and kololo. Mfecane was coined by e a walker in his 1928 book a history of south africa, which he translates into the. Political changes from 1750 to 1835 south african history. The mfecane was partly caused by changes in the nguni groups that resulted in the development of the zulu nation. Mfecane refers to a period of political disruption and population migration in south africa to other areas during 1820sand 1830s europeans called mfecane as wars of calamity by 1825, two and half millions starring homeless people wondered about. Jul 23, 20 a digital story about the mfecane or difacane.
The mfecane is a characteristic product of south african liberal history used by the apartheid state to legitimate south africas racially unequal land division. In the sesotho language, the events were known as the difaqane, which means forced migration. Coined the term mfecane in the zulu aftermath in 1966. What factors contributed to the rise of the zulu nation. The mfecne resulted in the death of so many people and destruction of property. The causes of the mfecane were emerging by the end of the eighteenth century, when population levels increased rapidly, and ecological resources were. How the bantus permanently changed the face of africa 2,000 years ago history of the bantu peoples duration. Causes of the mfecane essay 881 words free essay examples.
Mfecane means destruction or crushing in the zulu language. Mfecane refers to a period of political disruption and population migration in southern africa which occurred during the 1820s and 1830s. Purchase the document to get full access instantly add to cart 100% money back guarantee. During the period 18221836 when the mfecane was ravaging the sothotswana land, he gathered a group of refugees on the mountain fortress of thaba bosiu therefore he created the southern sotho kingdom in lesotho.
The impact of the mfecane on the cape colony essay sample the impact of the mfecane on the cape colony, dealt with the impact that the movement had on the lives of those included in the movement. Accepted idea was that the radical political and social changes among the bantu societies were caused by the expansion of the zulu kingdom under shaka zulu. Effects of mfecane on the peoples of southern, central and eastern africa the mfecane had a long lasting impact on the history of southern africa. The causes and impact of the mfecane in south africa essay. Sotho version of the better known xhosa mfecane, both of them neologisms describing this period of mass migration and killings. The mfecane was a period of chaos and indigenous tribal warfare in south africa that saw the near depopulation of the region from 1815 to around 1840 timeframe. Inhambane from the beginning of the nineteenth century caused africans to. In 1991 a colloquium was held at the university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg, south africa, entitled the mfecane aftermath. Political changes from 1750 to 1835 south african history online.
Postmfecanedifaqane patterns show a more complex situationzululand, swaziland and the eastern transvaal show doubleconvex patterning while free state appears convex. Jun 06, 2012 topic discuss the causes of the mfecane, taking into consideration the variety of historiography on this event. Mfecane was unquestioned fact of southern africa until the 1980s. The causes of the mfecane were emerging by the end of the eighteenth century, when population levels.
Mfecane was the period of widespreading warfare plundening disturbances, destruction andmigrations in zulu land and in some other parts of south africa. Causes of mfecane several reasons have been advanced by scholars for the outbreak of the mfecane. Pdf the mfecane is thought to be a massive upheaval and devastation of nguni tribal chiefdoms in the second decade. The earl y inhabitants the history of man in south africa covers such a vast period of time that it is difficult to know exactly where to start. Mfecane was the period of widespreading warfare plundening disturbances 1. This thesis undertakes a journey through a host of published works, books. When tracing the causes of the mfecane the net was cast wider, taking into consideration other factors that may well have contributed to the massive destruction in southeast africa. The causes of the mfecane were emerging by the end of the eighteenth century, when population levels increased rapidly, and ecological resources were sometimes scarce. The mfecane was partly caused by changes in the nguni groups that. Mfecane also known by the sesotho name difaqane or lifaqane was a period of widespread. The mfecane and its effects publish your masters thesis. Also during that period saw the growth of trade and the establishment of several european colonies.
The introduction of maize corn from the americas through the portuguese in mozambique was a factor. This area to the east of the drakensbergs and the eastern escarpment benefits from prevailing winds off the indian ocean. Pdf on jun 1, 1998, pamela scully and others published carolyn hamilton, editor. Sotho took place and this ultimately caused language changes. Although no one can pinpoint exactly what caused the mfecane, most believe the causes emerged at the end of the eighteenth and the start of the nineteenth centuries. The effects of mfecane can be grouped into positive and negative effects. One of the main causes of the mfecane was the growing power of the zulu leader shaka. The crushing series of zulu and other nguni wars and forced migrations of the second and third decades of the 19th century that changed the demographic, social, and political configuration of southern and central africa and parts of eastern africa. Extract of sample the causes and impact of the mfecane in south africa download file to see previous pages it is evidently clear from the discussion that mfecane took place as a result of nationbuilding that was aggressively done by the zulu lead by shaka and the ndebele of mzilikazi. Click download or read online button to get the mfecane book now.