Editing J. A. Hobson (section)

===Boer War and imperialism===
Soon after this period Hobson was recruited by the editor of the newspaper ''The Manchester Guardian'' to be their South African correspondent. During his coverage of the Second Boer War, Hobson began to form the idea that [[imperialism]] was the direct result of the expanding forces of modern [[capitalism]]. He believed the mine owners, led by [[Cecil Rhodes]], wanted control of the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]]. Accordingly, he believed they manipulated the British into fighting the Boers so that they could maximize their profits from mining.<ref>Hobson, Lenin and anti-Imperialism, Radio 3, 6 March 2011</ref> His return to England was marked by his strong condemnation of the conflict.

His publications during the next few years demonstrated an exploration of the associations between imperialism and international conflict. These works included ''War in South Africa'' (1900) and ''Psychology of Jingoism'' (1901). In what is arguably his magnum opus, ''[[Imperialism (Hobson)|Imperialism]]'' (1902), he espoused the opinion that imperial expansion is driven by a search for new markets and investment opportunities overseas. ''Imperialism'' gained Hobson an international reputation, and influenced such notable thinkers as [[Vladimir Lenin]] and [[Leon Trotsky]], and [[Hannah Arendt]]'s ''[[The Origins of Totalitarianism]]'' (1951).<ref>Imperial & Global Forum. (2015, January 12). Why should we still study J. A. Hobson’s *Imperialism*? Retrieved December 28, 2024, from https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2015/01/12/why-should-we-still-study-j-a-hobsons-imperialism/</ref>

In a 1902 ''Political Science Quarterly'' article, Hobson challenged numerous moral justifications for imperialism, including the notion that "less efficient" races benefitted from subordination to "more efficient" races.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hobson|first=J. A.|date=1902|title=The Scientific Basis of Imperialism|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2140538|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=17|issue=3|pages=460–489|doi=10.2307/2140538|jstor=2140538 |issn=0032-3195}}</ref>

Hobson wrote for several other journals before writing his next major work, ''The Industrial System'' (1909). In this tract he argued that maldistribution of income resulted, through oversaving and [[underconsumption]], in unemployment and that the remedy was in eradicating the "surplus" by the [[redistribution of income]] by taxation and the nationalization of monopolies.