Cecil Rhodes/boer wars

Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) was an English businessman, mining magnate, and politician in South Africa. He is an important figure in the history of the British Empire. He was the founder of Rhodesia, which was named after him. He was the chairman of the mining company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world’s diamonds. Cecil John Rhodes was born on July 5th, 1853 in England, the fifth of nine brothers and two sisters. As a child, he suffered from asthma and as a teenager, his parents sent him to Africa with his brother because of this. While he was in Africa, he ended up leaving his brother’s farm and buying claims in Kimberley to mine diamonds. In 1874 the diamond market went through a depression, and him and a partner bought hundreds of claims that turned out to be very valuable, and they founded the De Beers Mining Company. By then, they controlled the diamond market so much, that they were able to set prices. By age 30, Rhodes was the richest man in South Africa. He was then elected to Parliament in South Africa, and he became the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. He supported policies that encouraged settlement and commerce. He wanted to unify the Boer republics as part of South Africa. His desire to unify the Boer republics led to the Boer Wars. Gold was discovered in one of the Boer Republics in 1886, and Rhodes wanted to incite a rebellion among the settlers so they could overthrow the existing Boer governments. He sent one of his associates to cause a rebellion, and he failed. This led to the beginning of the Boer Wars, and Cecil Rhodes ended up resigning due to this. He never lived to see the end of the Boer Wars, as he died in 1902.