Why didn't the Boers ever unite against the British? (Short Animated Documentary)

TL;DR

The Boers never unified because British diplomatic pressure, internal rivalries, and competing economic interests kept the Orange Free State and South African Republic divided.

Key Points

• 1.Boer disunity had deep roots in colonial history. Descended from VOC settlers who fled indentured servitude, Boers formed separate communities after the Great Trek of the 1830s, establishing the South African Republic (ZAR) recognized in 1852 and the Orange Free State in 1854 as two distinct, independent states.
• 2.Britain actively discouraged unification as a political strategy. London made clear it recognized two separate Boer states with defined borders, and any merger would void that recognition, leaving Britain free to decide whether to allow Boer independence at all.
• 3.President Martinus Pretorius tried and failed twice to force unity. He pressed for unification, then launched a small invasion of the Orange Free State hoping its citizens would rally to his cause — they did not, and threats of civil war forced him to resign one of his presidencies within six months.
• 4.The Orange Free State deliberately stayed neutral during the 1877–1881 First Boer War. Despite suspecting British intentions, it relied on Britain for trade and investment, refused to aid the ZAR during its annexation and guerrilla uprising, which deepened inter-Boer mistrust but pleased the British.
• 5.Gold discovery in 1886 near Pretoria finally forced Boer alliance but proved too late. Paul Kruger forged a defensive pact with the Orange Free State before their 1899 preemptive strike; despite early successes, Britain deployed over ten times its original troop numbers, used concentration camps and scorched-earth tactics, and forced collective surrender in 1902, ending both states by 1910.