Jan Christiaan Smuts

The World War.

The outbreak of the World War shifted the South African centre of gravity to Smuts' office. In Sept. 1914, when Beyers resigned as Commandant-General in the midst of the preparations for a campaign against the Germans in South-west Africa, Smuts assumed his functions. The rebellion of De Wet, Maritz, Beyers and others followed. This was sup pressed by Botha, acting in the closest collaboration with Smuts at headquarters. In 1915, after a visit to Botha's forces in South-west Africa, Smuts took the leading part in the general election, which was marked by extreme bitterness. He was re elected for Pretoria West by a narrow majority. Early in 1916 he refused the command offered him in East Africa by the Imperial Government, but shortly afterwards yielded to represen tations. For the success of his operations against Lettow-Vorbeck see EAST AFRICA, OPERATIONS IN.

Work in London.--In March 1917 Smuts arrived in London to represent South Africa at the Imperial War conference, and was sworn as a privy councillor. After the conference, at a dinner given in recognition of his war services, by members of both Houses of Parliament, he made his famous declaration on the British Commonwealth of Nations. He accepted a seat in the War Cabinet, taking a deep interest in the flying services, and his proposals for their unification were accepted by the Cabinet. Incidentally, he supervised London's air defences. He sug gested, and became chairman of, the War Priorities Committee, which settled priority of claims among departments concerned in the war, and allocated man-power and other resources. Occasion ally he visited the Western front, where he conferred with com manders. In Dec. 1917 Smuts met Count Mensdorff at Geneva, and explored the possibility of a separate peace with Austria; but was finally convinced that it was not possible. The follow ing Feb. he spent with Allenby in Palestine, working out plans for a great advance.

After the Armistice, Smuts wrote his Memorandum on the League of Nations, The League of Nations: A Practical Sugges tion (1918), which received the support of both President Wilson and Mr. Lloyd George, and in substance became the Covenant of the League. With Botha, he represented South Africa at the Peace Conference, where he was mainly concerned with the Covenant and Dominion status. At this time he undertook a mission to Vienna and to Budapest, where the Communist Govern ment had violated the Armistice.

South African Politics.

After the conference, he returned to South Africa. In Aug. 1919, he became prime minister of the Union (in succession to Botha). During this period he twice attended the Imperial Conference. In 1921 his visit was notable for the part he played in securing peace in Ireland. During the Conference of 1923 (held while the Ruhr crisis was at its worst), he advocated a fresh attempt to settle the European situation. The suggestion was generally approved, and it helped to prepare the way for the Dawes Commission.

In 192o, repeated attempts to reunite the South African party and the Nationalists failed. The Unionists, under Smartt, decided to dissolve their organisation and to join the South African party. The consequences of this fusion lost Smuts a certain amount of support among both English and Dutch. A general election, held on that issue, left him, however, with a working majority, and the combined party did fairly well in Parliament. In 1922, however, another workers' revolt on the Rand (which had to be suppressed by the military and burghers, after the exercise of considerable patience) led to a junction of forces between advanced Nationalists and the Labour element. By-elections went against the Government, and a formal pact was made by the two Opposition parties. In 1924, after a crucial by-election, Gen. Smuts took the country by surprise; he dissolved Parliament, realising that the people were probably dissatisfied with him. The result, nationally considered, thoroughly bore out the wisdom of his decision, for the South African party was heavily defeated. Hertzog did not obtain a clear majority, but was able with the assistance of Labour to form a coalition Cabinet. Although Smuts himself lost Pretoria West, he was elected unopposed for Standerton, Botha's old constituency.

As Opposition leader, he continued to pay close attention to affairs of state, while indulging to some extent his fondness for phi losophy and botany. In 1925 he delivered the opening address, as president of the S.A. Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1926 General Smuts published Holism and Evolution, a phi losophical treatise. In 1933 he became minister of justice in Hertzog's government. (N. LE.; X.)