Classical European colonialism was not a simple white vs black story. Whites were divided and numerous “white” countries were colonies of others (including Ireland, Poland and Ukraine). Black soldiers and rulers were a major part of the imperial armies. Poverty and disenfranchisment was the lot of the majority of Western workers. And, as this video shows, Britain’s largest and most brutal (the casualty rate for the conquered population was far higher than in the Algerian and Vietnamese wars) imperial war in Africa was against (white) Afrikaners. This 2000 documentary, “Scorched Earth,” tells the story of the destructive policy that was used by the British military during the Anglo Boer War 1899-1902 and the human tragedy that followed as a result of the concentration camp system. A documentary which crushes all preconceived ideas about the Anglo-Boer War. The film looks from every possible angle at the tragic impact of the war on the lives of ordinary people. It focuses on Britain’s merciless “Scorched Earth” policy and the concentration camps for Afrikaner women, children and black people, as well as the way it shaped the collective South African psyche and politics of the twentieth century. Scholars from various backgrounds and with varied opinions have the opportunity to put their side of the story, and the different views are juxtaposed, resulting in fiery debate. Conversations are interspersed with numerous letters, sworn statements, official documents, snippets of film material hardly seen before, as well as lots of photographs.