Role in World War I of Jan Smuts

Just as Smuts was drawn into the public life of his own country, so, after the outbreak of World War I, he was drawn into international affairs. When he and Botha had suppressed rebellion in South Africa, conquered South West Africa, and launched a campaign in East Africa, he went to England for an imperial conference (March 1917). Prime Minister Lloyd George at once recognized his abilities and made him minister of air. From then on he was used in a variety of tasks. He organized the Royal Air Force and was concerned in all major decisions about the war. At the peace conference at Versailles, the English economist J.M. Keynes regarded him as the greatest protagonist of a moderate peace that would not crush Germany, and he may justly be called one of the principal progenitors of the League of Nations.

A few months after their return from Versailles, Botha died, and Smuts became prime minister. Nearly five years later he was defeated by a coalition of the Nationalist and Labour parties and remained in opposition until 1933, when he and J.B.M. Hertzog joined forces against the more extreme nationalists. Smuts was content to serve under Hertzog, but they were in deep disagreement about whether South Africa should go to war if Britain did. When the crisis came in September 1939 Smuts’s view prevailed by a narrow majority of 13 in Parliament. Smuts became prime minister, and South Africa declared war on Germany.

During World War II South Africa played a much greater part than in World War I, but Smuts himself was not as important a figure as he had been during 1914–18. He was consulted by Sir Winston Churchill and other Allied leaders, but his main role was to prevent Germany and Italy from conquering North Africa. Once that objective was achieved, he and his country became of relatively minor importance. Smuts represented South Africa at the 1945 San Francisco Conference at which the Charter of the United Nations was drafted.

At the general election of 1948 Smuts’s party was defeated by the Nationalists. D.F. Malan became prime minister, and one of his first acts was to offer Smuts an official airplane to go to Cambridge, where he was to be installed as chancellor, an offer that Smuts accepted. Two years later, at his home near Pretoria, he died.

Legacy

Despite his great abilities and achievements, Smuts was not a popular leader—he had a subtle and sophisticated mind, was impatient, could not tolerate mediocrity, was immensely hardworking, and had no time for the sociabilities that make for popularity. For almost half his lifetime—from 1912 to 1950—he was derided, mistrusted, reviled, and even hated by an increasing majority of his fellow Afrikaners. He was called a lackey of the empire and a betrayer of his own people. Before and during the South African War he was staunchly anti-British and in favour of a united Afrikaner people.

In 1917 and 1919 he persuaded British statesmen to grant dominion status and (in 1920) to drop the word empire. It was believed by some that Smuts was trying to break up the empire. In fact, he knew that the only way to preserve it was to allow as much independence as possible to its components. Nationalist Afrikaners knew this, too—hence, their detestation of Smuts. He was a great South African; they wanted him to be a great Afrikaner. He wanted an independent South Africa closely linked with the Commonwealth; they wanted an independent republic outside the Commonwealth. Ten years after his death the Nationalists achieved their aim.