Pershing Lecture Series | The Wars Before the War: The Boer Wars

Dr. Sean Kalic takes the stage at the National WWI Museum and Memorial on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for the latest installment of the Pershing Lecture Series. The series brings in historians to look at the wars that shaped the Great War, and this one focuses on the Boer Wars.

Kalic will walk through how the First and Second Boer Wars shattered the romanticized illusions of the 19th-century empire and exposed the deep systemic vulnerabilities that drove Great Britain's tactical and organizational reforms. It's a look at the cracks that were showing in the British military long before 1914, and how the struggle in South Africa forced a rethink of how the army actually functioned on the ground.

If you're heading over, there's a bit more to see around the museum right now. The museum is marking its centenary and the nation's 250th anniversary—a double milestone that's inspired Liberty's Beacon, an artistic light installation that turns the site into a canvas of light, sound, and motion. It's worth arriving early enough to catch it before the lecture starts.

The talk is at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. It's free with RSVP.