The Flawed Genius of Jan Smuts - Unraveling the Paradox of a Global Visionary in a Divided World
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2019
- Jan Smuts is a foremost political figure in South African and World 20th Century History, and is recognised today by two of the world's leading historians as being at the very centre of the vision for a new world order that emerges from the League of Nations and the United Nations.. "Few actually understand how key Smuts is in the crafting of the world systems that emerges outside of South Africa."...Keith Breckenridge (Economic History Professor). “He was one of the most enlightened, courageous and noble-minded men of the 20th century...a man who fought for his country but who thought for the whole world” - Winston Churchill.
“No politician in England for many a day has combined his sweep, his detachment and his subtlety” Manchester Guardian.
"This was a great leader, he was a man who knew his story, he was a man who was a brilliant intellectual. "Ken Gillings (Military Historian).
“Even the great thought he was great”.... Alan Paton
"It was a great philosophical vision that he had that the whole is more important than the solitary or the individual."....Allister Sparks (Author and Political Commentator).
"Once more General Smuts has revealed himself as a statesman with an international mind. He is one of the comparatively few great men in international politics.".....South Wales Argus.
Explore the complex life and legacy of Jan Smuts whose global politics and philosophy left an indelible mark on the 20th century. His story peels back the paradoxical layers of a great South African statesman who envisioned a unified world through his concept of a League of Nations, but was not able to unify his own nation; who was a staunch defender of freedom but whose policies often contradicted the very ideals he cherished; was both a war hero and a peacemaker and a proponent of unity in international forums while his own nation grappled with deep-seated racial divisions.
Unpacking the Legacy of Smuts:
* Warrior and Peacemaker: From the battlefields of the Boer War to the negotiation tables of the World Wars, witness Smuts' journey from a military strategist to a pioneering statesman who was instrumental in for the formation of the League of Nations and the United Nations.
* Philosophical Insights and Contradictions: Delve into Smuts' philosophy of holism, which anticipated ecological science but also mirrored the contradictions of his time, struggling to apply these ideals universally, especially within the fraught landscape of his homeland.
* Domestic Controversies and International Acclaim: Explore how Smuts' international acclaim as a visionary contrasted sharply with his contentious domestic policies, which ultimately sowed the seeds of apartheid, alienating segments of his own society.
Documentary Features:
* Exclusive Interviews and Expert Analyses: Featuring historians, political analysts, and those who knew Smuts personally, providing a rounded portrayal of his character and impact.
* Rare Archival Footage and Dramatized Scenes: From the rugged terrains of South Africa to the hallowed halls of global diplomacy, re-enactments and genuine clips bring Smuts' era to life.
@Tekweni
JAN SMUTS CHAPTERS
1. Introduction 00:00:22
2. Draft preamble to the United Nations Charter 00:28:46
3. Jan Smuts farm at Doornkloof now Smuts House Museum, Irene 00:01:46
4. Early life on father’s farm 00:04:53
5. Parents Katarina and Jacobus Smuts 00:05:55
6. Graduates from the University of Cape Town 00:08:27
7. Smuts is appointed Chancellor of University of Cape Town 00:08:42
8. Inaugurated as Chancellor of Cambridge University 00:09:04
9. Philosophy of holism 00:09:45
10. Allister Sparks on Smut’s philosophical vision 00:10:58
11. Dr Oshadi Mangena on principal of holism 00:11:51
12. The Jameson Raid 00:12:53
13. Kruger, President Steyn, Smuts and Lord Milner meet 00:13:24
14. Anglo Boer War 00:13:47
15. Lord Kitchener’s scorched earth policy 00:16:33
16. Boer women and children incarcerated in British concentration camps 00:16:54
17. Emily Hobhouse 00:17:08
18. Peace Treaty of Vereeniging signed 00:18:58
19 Steve Biko 00:23:17
20. Union of South Africa formed 00:24:35
21. Keith Breckenridge Economic History Professor 00:25:09
22. African National Congress formed 00:26:38
23. Native Land Act and Natives in Urban Areas Bill 00:26:50
24. Ghandi 00:28:31
25. World War 1 00:32:08
26. German East Africa Campaign 00:33:02
27. Imperial War Conference 00:33:42
28. Concept of dominions 00:34:04
29. League of Nations 00:35:19
30. Smuts becomes Prime Minister 00:36:07
31. Creation of National Party 00:37:00
32. Rand Rebellion 00:37:20
33. Coalition of United Party 00:39:00
34. Hertzog’s Native Bills 00:40:08
35. United Nations 00:42:11
36. World War 2 00:43:20
37. Smuts Prime Minister of South Africa
38. Imperial War Cabinet 00:47:14
39. Museum of Military History 00:48:07
40. Visit of British royal family 00:52:41
41. Malan becomes Prime Minister
42. Voortrekker Monument
43. Death of Smuts
We need more pre 94” documentaries so everything happening now is put in perspective.
You won't get that. It's too nuanced for indigenous brains to process. Your people need "black man victim/white man oppressor" narrative to keep things simple.
So stupidity is due to past issues?
thats a good point - for example, maybe - if Paul Kruger made peace with the British, there never would've been anglo-boer war; which led to ultra-nationalism; which led to prolonged apartheid
@@lm_b5080 There would probably have been other issues. Think of all the colonies which the British have ruled and are still under their rule: Australia's and Nieu-Zealand's native populations are today a minority group; Other past African colonies are living in poverty.
The Voortrekkers, who moved into the interior of South Africa, did so, because Britain wanted to create an empire in the Cape, which would inevitably lead to the eradication of the Dutch culture that was established there at the time. Had they not opposed the British, all of South Africa would have been amalgamated under British rulership.
Remember - segregation was not an exclusive Afrikaner ideology - it was practiced throughout the ages and, at the time, all over the newly formed colonies. America, too, had this. The difference being that the minority cultures had been eradicated in the process.
As evil as Apartheid was, it might have just preserved the indigenous cultures of the country.
In the New World Order which is on our doorstep (and ironically crafted by Smuts to a large extent, as documented here), there will be no room for individualism and tribalism. Some think of this as the only way to forge peace amongst the nations. I think not. I think our identity as nations, groups and tribes, are to be celebrated. We just need to find a way to not "other" each other, and stop with out superiority complexes.
@@lm_b5080wasn’t that fight before apartheid was official? And wasn’t he fighting to protect the country and the Gold? From the British empire ?
I don’t have answers, genuinely asking.
For me ,a descendant of a Bittereinder BOER who never signed the Oath,,went into exile to German East Africa,,Tanzania,,,
He was a TRAITOR, which caused a Rebelion😢😢
The type of history we should be learning. Detailed, informed and as objective as possible. Good stuff
exactly
I am a Cameroonian who's lived in SA for a few years now and kept seeing streets named after Smuts but had no idea who he was. Glad that this documentary did a good job of telling us who he was. He seemed like a man who was very conflicted over his own views on race and his holism philosophy didn't seem to hold in Africa unfortunately for how flawed it was. Smart guy regardless of his views on race. And great job to the team that produced this.
He warned the Nats that Apartheid would be a big mistake A great man
Thank you.
Read up about him sir.even on youtube they have an excellent article about him
He was a great man who in the end started questioning apartheid
A hundred years before his time.
@@madeleinedonaldson4422 Ag asseblief...
Thankyou for this truly very well done documentry. We were taught about this great man. My father served as a springboks soldier in the second world war. My dad said he was tough, fair and cared about the soldiers. Therfore South African soldiers had to be well trained. He had their respect. We need people like him today
My grandfather served as his bodyguard for some years. He spoke very highly of the General.
Thank you for making this documentary.
OMG! I always wanted this part of South African history. I never thought I would ever be in a room with someone who can put politics aside but have a view of who the founders of South Africa were in person. I'm really interested sir, suggest any reading material, video, or provide me with anything you think it has an accurate enough information for me to learn about Jan Smuts, and the founding of South Africa.
My mother's mother was Isie Smuts. He was my grandfather
grandfather or great grandfather
@@imaniraks77 grandfather - Johan Momberg. Born 1912
I am from the Philippines, and I deeply admired the intellectual depth and sterling brilliance of Marshall Jan Christian Smuts, having read his life story and his contributions to the creation of the League of Nations, the British Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. Truly, he has made a lasting impact to the world for his contributions to world peace and international security. Certainly, Prime Minister Churchill's great respect for the man only affirms the exceptional mentality and character of Marshall Smuts. It is ironic that the man- widely applauded and recognized as an international icon, a truly great visionary, a futuristic leader and whose name is revered in the halls of international peace conferences and the academe has not put into practical application his vision and philosophy for his native South Africa which if he did, he could have done a lot for racial equality and the ending of apartheid in that part of the globe.
I understand the intend of what you are trying to communicate. I would just like to correct a mistake which is so ingrained in the eyes of the international community about South Africa and the history of Apartheid. The time line of South Africa has been so skewed that it borders on the absurd.(Obviously to vilify the Afrikaner as much as possible) In Smut's day South Africa did not have Apartheid. This ideology was only introduced after the Rep. of South Africa was established in 1961.
The program was developed prior under the Union of South Africa, the policies of Apartheid were already in place and introduced in 1958 by the British colonial powers, the Nationalist only came to power in 1961.
The Land act of 1913, was a British Law and Afrikaners were at that time totally disenfranchised from having any say in the governance as they were still having to recover from the intense British invasion of their countries.
We had to wait for the CPSA and mandela to do the job, señor beautiful hair
@@felixmora665 I am not quite certain about what you mean. I may have a perspective of what you are referring to and if it is correct I would answer by saying that South Africa today, post apartheid have more racial laws than during Apartheid. Racial laws are completely and utterly infused and is completely institutionalized in South Africa. It is more racially divided by statute than ever before which is leading to a much greater divide between the rich and the poor. It is however creating much more poverty than economic empowerment. It is also scaling back and dissuading foreign investment into South Africa as companies have realized that South Africa's racial policies are a top down problem created by its government. Government-meaning all parties in parliament. Racially based laws are being passed on a daily(regular) bases in Parliament and it is sold as affirmative actions or black empowerment which seems to be the accepted norm and permissible by intellectuals, academia, enforced by the judiciary, but at the end of the day, these are racially based laws and that is fueling racism. Look no further than South Africa today to understand exactly what the meaning of institutionalized and endemic racism is all about. South Africa is lesson No.1 and the status quo has been installed by South Africa's public enemy No'1 The ANC, (Mandela's Party) and it's Tri-partheid Alliance which include the communist party.
@@glenhuysamer you misundestood me completely
@@felixmora665 Yep. I thought I was having difficulty understanding, but now I do. I just thought that the subject needed further comment and you gave me the opportunity. I am sure you understand.
Very interesting! I was told by my mother that when Smuts lost the 1948 election, my grandfather cried because he was worried about the future direction of the country. Sadly the both died in 1950.
'48 was a great tragedy indeed. Your grandfather's insight was prescient.
That is the history that we are not taught as black people, we hate white people for all the sins of 1948
I'm still crying.
Smuts was right all along (but we're not supposed to say that)😮
Your mother was a wise woman.
As a young black South African I hold him in high regard. He is an one of the architects of my country.
Nxa wanya wena
@@CharlieMungerMrHoover Uqamba nokuqamba amanga, munyama kuphi lo?
@@CharlieMungerMrHoover Where would South Africa be without the legacy of Jan Smuts?
@Larry Hoover ur mother
@@CharlieMungerMrHooverur lack of reason to explain y, nd hv points iz the reason y ul never solve ur prblms
Great documentary of a Greater man. RIP from Canada, Jan Smuts.
Wow this is a beautiful documentary! We need to recognise our genius beyond their flaws! I'm a black South African and am really trying to appreciate the context of those who caused my people so much pain...this documentary gave me a more balanced view of General Smuts...Thank you
@Conscious One youre a parasite
@Conscious One general Smuts was a liberal during the height of Afrikaner conservatism 🤦🏻♂️
So, 'your people' are not prepared to take responsibility for their current plight. If you stamp your forehead with 'I am a victim' then you will not only ensure 'so much pain', you'll redouble it.
No u are Flawed u are not Black
@@sthembisojwara4897 yea that's true☠️ I was only born in SA
The music at the end is Bruckner's 7th Symphony 😍😍 so fitting for an iconic South African
Thank you for that info.
Jan Smuts is known and well respected in France too. I remember learning about him in school.
Even the French give him more attention than South Africans, LOL.
Most Afrikaners do not honour him. He is seen as a traitor. And rightly so.
Thank you for this excellent balanced video rare to find one that is not biased and blatantly propagandist but factual and worthy tribute to this great South African statesman ! A credit to those who compiled it and I am sure Jan Smuts himself would have been honoured to know as the record of his life.Modern politicians can learn so much from this Great Soul most definitely!
How right he has been proved.
@Gavin Erasmus ?
An excellent documentary, thank you. It's easy for people nowadays to look back and criticise without understanding the context of the times in which he lived. Of course he made mistakes, we all do, and I can't think of anyone who ever got everything right 100% of the time. My sense from watching this is that he knew and understood the forces at work in the world and was powerless to do anything about them. Imagine a brilliant captain on the bridge of the ship, fully understanding the might of the ocean and the power of the weather, and only able to steer the ship to the best of his abilty. Great people like Smuts are sadly lacking in our world today.
That's a load of shite buddy They had Everything based on being white, and put in place a horrible racist disgusting system against the majority of the people TO HOLD ONTO POWER . It was done to us in Ireland also . All colonists do it. Yours was just the worst.
Well said, he and Hofmeyr were dead against racial discrimination, but as you point out, he knew the currents and forces of his people at that time.
Wrt the race issue, he actually said it was something that would have to be solved by a later generation.
40 years later 68% of Whites voted for change.
Your ship captain analogy is very apt.
Without context, "flawed", in context, a great, great man who being a genius faced reality.
My Dad was British, but when Smuts died my dad's words were "SA without a leader, what will happen now"
Very interesting documentary. My Grand father, Louis Esselen was Secretary to Gen Smuts. All the Esselen papers are with the Unisa Library. Some interesting reading. I read them all while still a young kid.
Jan Smuts blessed with a brilliant intellect and leadership was a modest and moral man admired by the world Kings and leaders of his time, he lived a simple life, yet impacted so powerfully on world history. It's a pity the united nations don't follow his example. My late father attended Jan Smuts 80th birthday celebration on 24 May 1950 and was given a souvenir box containing 2 slices of the birthday cake which I have to this day well preserved in probably much brandy?
He was a hero. That's controversial in RSA but Heroes have their mistakes. I believe he did good for SA. Wish we could learn from, absorb from him all that is good and apply it in our country.
@@luyolo679 He set up and perpetuated an appalling disgusting racist system against 80% of the population. He knew what he was doing, he knew it was reprehensible and did it anyway
Scientific research, logical analysis, unbiased approach, excellent collection and creation of visuals, and appropriate commentary and music make this a wonderful documentary. Congratulations.
General Smuts was a great Philosopher, Statesman ,Leader and a man of true integrity Very proud of him.Well respected .🙏💪🙏💝.y Father had his same name and quite frankly, the same temperament A Philosopher and wize person My Dad was his 2nd Cousin💝
The state he created was a stinking cesspool of racism and violence against 80% of the population. Philosopher?? He was intelligent enough to know his countrymen were intent on holding onto power at all costs , no matter how low and brutal they had to go.
Yet taught nothing of blacks and Indians in his own country...... 😂😂😂
handkhaki@@rodgerhargoon3402
Integrity was not one of his traits.
handkhaki. @@sandrajansevanvuuren7891
Nothing flawed about him.He was the creator of the RAF.A brilliant soldier and man.
He is not respected by all. He did nothing to prevent the death of our hero, Jopie Fourie.
@@sonjaswart9866 Who was Jopie? Never heard of him.
@@sonjaswart9866 not respected by idiots, that’s all.
A thinker and leader, not a political thug or lollypop man.
I agree these wonderful old documentaries give us history we never learned in school. It all helps to understand the world of today. Thank you!!
My grandfather was born in the concentration camp in Mafeking.
Thanks for posting this. An expat living in SA, and a history buff, I did a quick review of who Jan Smuts was, and it was just enough to interest me in more. I spoke about him to a couple SA people, and they had no idea who he was. Man of his time, and impossible to defend his philosophical beliefs, even if he was otherwise a great man.
When the National Party came to power in 1948, they wanted South Africa to forget about Smuts, the man who sided with the Brits, he had too much international attention for their liking.
@@ZebraAfrica : You are right - the Nats’ hatred for Smuts was also due to them wanting ZA to side with Nazi Germany and not with Britain. Many are still ‘fighting’ the Boer War.
@@1942decemberthey taught us about him when I was in primary school in the 80’s in South Africa. Our airport was named after him until ‘94. I knew he was important…but not a lot of the details. Thank you for the doc. 🙏🏻
@@TheFairyintheFishBowl : I assume you attended an English medium school. Afrikaner nationalists hated him.
One should not equate philosophical beliefs of a different era with those of the present time. There is constant shifting, for better and for worse.
25:45 as a kid i played with my frnds at those mines lol..59 now n it only feels like yesterday..geez time flies hehe ..peace✌
Ja, i took the trip from durban to randburg by car, in 1986. I was six years old at the time. How things have changed.
I am fascinated with the history of South Africa and this presentation confirms the rich and diverse history of this nation.
My grandfather was his nephew. I never met him but he and his name had a huge effect on my family. My father retired as a colonel and he was refused promotion on the grounds that the National Party didn't want another Smuts to reach a high rank.
The Nationalists were, or could be, such children.
The Nationalists were not children - Smuts was a traitor and rewarded by becoming prime minister. Hence his loyalties lay with the oppressing disgusting English and there British Empire BS. If any English want to tell me that had a difficult time under nationalist rule he is lying. Amazes me, seeing what happened to the British colonies in Africa, that you still want to rise your mouth on the Afrikaners. Pathetic and never the BE's fault hey. Not even your betrayal of Zimbabwe.
Very impressive documentary, in the class of a good TV production
This great man is kept out of Dutch history as well. Being Dutch I can understand Afrikaans very well.
That is like saying an Australian man is kept out of british history
@Laney B I can't really judge on that but he had an impact on the international community later in life
Dankie Rob Happe. It was a shock when I had discovered that the ANC and Black Resistance was given help by the Dutch to kill the Whites/ Afrikaners and our Government. And how the Dutch distance then form Jan van Riebeeck and the destroying of old books in the Zuid-Afrika-Huis in "Holland". As if the Dutch wish to state there is NO connection between the Afrikaners and them. I refuse to read the Dutch prescribe book (Het Gevaar) in school. And to day there is no Dutch prescribe books in school. Now with the move of more Africans to Europe (Holland) I see that your Right Wing getting stronger...
@@davidvanniekerk3813 Best thing I have done is that the Netherlands is no longer my home. The last straw this pandemic, I am not even allowed in for a holiday, economical refugees don't have that problem.
@@hanoitripper1809you don’t understand how history works
After reading the books of Wilbur Smith I became interested in South African history and started reading and watching videos like this.I think life in South Africa is a continuous adventure.Just like the geograhy of South Africa,so tough and hard and soooo vast ,the people of South Africa are tough and hard ,only that way they can survive.Sadly ,it seems violence and crime is increasing ,so , ordinary people cannot live with peace and work for a prosperous life.
I always wanted to see a documentary about him. Well done !!!
The background info is really not that accurate....i would love to know who financed this.
@@skalkananzi01 Behoort jy nie uit te brei waarom dit dan hogwash is nie? Dan kan ons almal dalk iets leer.
Can't remember everything but the main lie is that the world treats South Africa as if it always was one country and blacks were prevented from going where they had a right to go. Before 1902 "South Africa" consisted of 2 independent Afrikaner republics and 7 independent African kingdoms.
@@skalkananzi01
South African History did not start when the 2 Republics came to an end in 1902.
There were in fact a total of 18 Boer Republics:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer_Republics#Boer_republics
which eventually became the Oranje Vrijstaat:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Free_State#/media/File:Flag_of_the_Orange_Free_State.svg
and the Zuid Afrikaanche Republiek:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Republic#/media/File:Flag_of_Transvaal.svg
Interestingly the right wing of today easily use only this flag to commemorate "Die Boere". They forget the Voortrekkers had their own flag:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Trek#/media/File:Voortrekker_flag.svg
PLUS there were 4 Griqua states:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer_Republics#Griqua_states
PLUS there were 5 or 6 African Kingdoms in Southern Africa which consisted of course of many tribes:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_kingdoms_in_pre-colonial_Africa#Southern_Africa
Pre-colonial Africa looked different:
za.pinterest.com/pin/315040936421432597/
Nobody treats SA as if they always were 1 country. Just as the USA and their 50 states were not always 1 country. And yes between 1948 and 1994 during Apartheid the blacks WERE prevented from their right to where they wanted to go.
Jan Smuts lost the 1948 elections by 'n mere 49%-51% of the white votes:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_South_African_general_election
PW Botha started the end of Apartheid with his Tricameral Parliament after the 1983 referendum that won a 66% majority vote under white voters, which changed the constitution:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_South_African_constitutional_reform_referendum
FW de Klerk took it further with his 68% majority win in the 1992 referendum under white voters to start a process of reforms:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_South_African_apartheid_referendum
Jan Smuts lost by 'n hair in 1948 for the same reason that Donald Trump won in 2016. Rural votes in 1948 vs Electoral districts in 2016. Jan Smuts won the popular votes in 1948 but lost the election. Donald Trump lost the popular votes in 2016 but won the election. This proves that losing the popular vote but winning the election is not real democracy. It proved to be flawed in 1948 in SA and it proves to be flawed in 2016 in the USA. Real democracy is found by winning the popular vote otherwise it will only be a victory built on sand.
But forget that for a second. This video is not a history of SA. It is all about the great visionary of a man called Jan Smuts. He had SA on the correct path but lost to "Afrikaner nasionalisme" in 1948. Right wing politics are famous for their selfishness and shortsightedness, and that had to play itself out in SA as it is playing itself out in the rest of the world. Right wing selfishness is illustrated by the 18 Boer Republics after the Groot Trek. Too many bosses (trek leiers) with their own ideas and too much power (self love) gave rise to a kind of division between right wing groups that still exist to this day.
It is not Jan Smuts or FW de Klerk that sold SA out. It is the division between selfish people that sold themselves out. South Africans were never a conquering nation. But the new South Africa have the chance to be an example to the rest of the world on how divided tribes and skin colours can stand together to work towards a common goal. Freedom and prosperity for all. Both don't come cheap.
If you listen carefully at 22:30 in the video one can understand how correct Jan Smuts was in saying: "Freedom is the most ineradicable craving of human nature. Without it peace, contentment and happiness even manhood itself are not possible. Happiness is freedom and freedom is courage. That is the fundamental equation of all politics and of all human government. And any system which ignores it, is built on sand.".
The National Party's dream of an Apartheid SA WAS built on sand that is why it could not last.
@@skalkananzi01 Tekweni Media did the filming.
I notice they used the banner of the National Film and Video Foundation which is an agency of the Dept of Arts and Culture.
So there is no conspiracy theory there.
Now, if only Smuts and Biko had known each other.
When I was 6 I met him in jan smuts airport. And he shook my hand and we had a chat . My mother was astounded. As she. Was a fan of his
Thanks, very good, seems to be a dearth of documentaries on him and you have done a great job of fulfilling that need.
Field Marshal Smuts was South Africa's gift to the world. Thank you for sharing this wonderful documentary! 🇿🇦🌍
He might be a gift to thec world, but no gift to the boers and bittereinders who were betrayed by he british and the liberal boers.
Broers, ons het besluit om tot die bittere einde te staan; laat ons soos manne erken dat daardie einde vir ons gekom het
@@aranos56vmsmuts and Louis Botha ended up with both English colonies as well as the boer Republics a United south africa they lost the war but won the negotiations it ended up better for us this way
An amazing video about one of the greatest South Africans of all times! Much informative...
Hy het ons verraai.
Really enjoyed this. I remember my matric history thesis which was titled ' Jan Smuts: International Statesman or South African Politician.' I got an A.
Well done! A,s always evaded me.
Good documentary. The people of South Africa is hungry for their history. More stuff like this please😊
Thank you.
My ancestors were proudly big Smuts supporters. Thank you for bringing this awareness of historical South African history.
@Gavin Erasmus ???
Your ancestors were racist colonisers
Greatest SA statesman that there ever was. A real man of his time. Written out of history by the National party and now the ANC.
@@ApisVenandi kak man
@The river of no return eerstens moenie so bang poes wees en n skuilnaam gebruik nie, dalk is jy n anc lid vir al wat ek weet. 2dens, jy het klomp kaka raakgekliek en dink ek moet dit kyk en glo. Gebruik regte bronne met verwysings, onder jou naam, nie klomp internet gemors nie. Kom by man, jou hele poging om n punt te maak is pateties.
Yes he was a great leader a product of his times.
Nelson Mandela is the greatest statesman
@@petrorams194 Is or was if it is, where are you hiding him.
We “The British” were lucky to have him on our side in WW2
without a doubt, Jan Smuts a South African son of the soil was an inspiration during world war 2 and a friend to King George V1, Winston Churchill, and Dwight D Eisenhower, In May 1945 Jan Smuts represented South Africa at the drafting of the United Nations charter,. What a great disappointment the current UN is today. They have betrayed their souls for political power.
It's a pity the ANC is so biased to change the name of S. A main airport of JAN SMUTS to what it is today.
This was excellent. Focusing on his place in history as not just a South African leader, but as a key founding father of the world's government is a subject of immense importance in today's global world. From some of the more recent historical figures of history like William Penn, Napoleon, Churchill and others; Jan Smut's clearly saw his place in this melding process. "Spare the conquered, battle down the proud" was a maxim he was quite aware of. He knew his country was conquered. He couldn't beat em, so he joined em; like we all have had to do at some point in our people's past. Those that wish to look upon him as a traitor or racist do so only from the perspective of the moment in time and within a vacuum of ignorance towards the wholesale unifying journey of man.
The federation of the world's people was a foregone conclusion since the start. It has all been just a matter of time when all the little villages, bigger city states and then continental nations could be brought together in unity whether under the pen or sword. Seeking harmony thereafter becomes an eternal work in progress of which each and every one of us is responsible for.
brilliant documentary. Exceptionally well done.
One mustn't judge history by today's standards.
they aren’t they are putting his views in context
Do they have any standards today?
Yes the standards of oppression and slavery and capture of the black people
Beautifully done. A great South African. May the best of him live on forever and never be forgotten the good that he did. Thank you for a balanced history lesson. Even having lived through most of this at 94 I learned so much I didn’t know.Thank you.
Amazing documentary! And the JHB war museum is the most educational institution I've ever visited.
Vryheid vir die Boer! South Africa never should have become a union. The union of South Africa is unsustainable and morally wrong. It s to bad that this documentary does not give more incite to the Boer rebellion of 1914. It was in 1914 that Jan Smuts lost the support of his people, the Afrikaners. And to understand Afrikaner politics, you have to understand the rebellion of 1914.
Jis Gerhard klink my ou jan het bieki gat geryp da by die engelse..! Trust nie so man om GOD se land vir GOD se mense te behou nie..!!
Jip. Jopie Fourie.
@@corneljansevanrensburg5552 Fourie moes bedank het uit die SA Weermag voor hy gerebelleer het. Hy het nie, en het in sy weermaguniform sy gedeeltes van die rebelle gelei.
Dit was hoogverraad.
I remember my father describing how happy he had been when Smuts lost the election in 1948, something he was not surprised about but apparently it was a shock to many. He said Smuts had gotten too close to the British and many Afrikaaners resented this. British interference in South Africa over prior decades was not appreciated by the Afrikaaner nationalists and memories of the Boer War were still fresh in many minds even though it had been nearly 50 years since.
Only 30 years later the Afrikaaners want the blacks to forget about apartheid completely and embrace them but they could not get over a 50 year old war. The double standards.
@@TJSDU I'm sure it is going to take a lot longer than 50 years.
Veni, vidi, vici! Rome did it, the Brits did it everywhere and now the Americans do it all over again! And they are like gods because the murder millions and their victims chose to fight each other, so they prosper and become "destroyer of worlds".
I can attest that they made an alliance with my king back than, and that alliance is still up...I'm gonna guess but it's very possible Smuts new he couldn't just say no to them! Eventually he did and they took him out!
The Hapsburgs should had been dealt with early in the 14th century, Venice filled them up with lots of cash (by the way the same ones that founded the nation corporation called Netherlands) today only Russia and China can confront them!
It's gonna be an interesting century!
If you look at history it was not only the ABO, it was also WW1 with the Rebellion where many that fought in the ABO were jailed because the objected against joining the war. This was followed by the great depression of the 30 s an then the outbreak of WW2 at the end of the 30s where there were many that thought that South Africa had enough problems of its own to join a war. So no, at least three major incidents after the ABO.
For all his faults he was a great man and did do many great things. We should always remember that everyone make mistakes and no one is perfect. He did create South Africa as a country and without him this would probably not have happened. History is unfortunately a reality that we can only learn from.
It's also typical of human nature to focus on negative things.
His liberal stand and subsequent alienation to the so called " die uitverkoren van die volk" or Chosen people indeed a farcry
To the atrocities by volk boer and far ride patriachs like JBM Hertzog and his predecessor Louis Botha who even eventually awarded 97 percent of the land to minorities
Facts are facts, he sold out the Boers, the British blew smoke up his area where the sun didn't shine, they, the British were only interested in our gold and diamonds, which by the way they still own today in 2023, I am a Boer and despise what this union of Smuts and Britain has wrought
This has very much resparked my interest. I've recently gotten a copy of the Boer War as a result. Thanks man
We need more documentaries please!!!!
Fantastic documentary. Thank You
Thank you for this. I understand certain things much better after watching this detailed and great presentation!
Thank you for an honest portrayal of history. It is very quite rare.
🇿🇦 South Africa thanks you for this wonderful documentary about our hero.
Funny how I know nothing about this man but so many roads are named after him
In the Netherlands we learned about Jan Smuts but I honestly can't remember what it involved. 😅 good thing this is on UA-cam.
Wat n wonderlike insiggewende dokumenter om te ervaar, n paar dae na die totstandkoming van ons nuwe Regering Van Nationale Eenheid. Voorwaarts Suid Afrika !!
I read somewhere that Jan Smuts was concerned that the native problem was not solved in his lifetime. Therefore it appears that his holistic idea needed to be developed with time.
It has still not been solved even today.
Hi Folks - In our present situation in South Africa and as a senior citizen who four uncles who fought for the British, two in the Royal Navy and two in the South African Army, a Grand Father in WW 1, a father who served in essential services in WW 2 , I served in the South African Citizen Force as did two of my sons, I do wonder what is next.
Naturally after living for a while, you die...
Maybe payback for the concentration camps, ?May they rot in helll😬
I'm my late 20s through all that history I'm of the 1st generation in my family to be a civy we too thought through it all and wonder what's next a lasting peace seems kinda strange with a history of nothing but conflict
It is an interesting film.
That brought up many facts that i did not know about SA.
Even while i was living and working there for many years.
Thank you for downloading!
As a Black South African born in the then Transvaal (PWV) this Doccie makes you understand history better.
You should watch a few on how ANC is a criminal/terrorist organisation like Hamas.
Great documentary!
The victor gets to write the history but that does not imply truth.
Thank you for this video.
Jan Smuts International Airport is now called O.R. Tambo International Airport, that should be enough to tell you what Free South Africa thinks of the man.
You are a fool simple. You are not even a black person. Embracing a colonizer, instead of a liberator.
They the anc can call it whatever they like , it will always be Jan Smut’s airport to me , as long as I have a hole up my ass , and all the rest of the renamed places that the terrorists have given names to , will always be the old original names in my mind , I still proudly fly the old SA Flag at my home
OR Tambo did more for the freedom of the blacks than Smuts. Fair is fair, let the boeres build monuments to him. But now free SA is a black man's country.
@@nostramashego4226 In who's land? South Africa never belonged Europeans. Build him one in Holland.
@@nostramashego4226 Yes, we can see it's a black man's country... 😂😂😂
What a man of stature!! We need another man/president like him!!
Excellent job, I've thoroughly enjoyed this.
Such a great man, pity our country has fallen so far from greatness
What a brilliant South African
Despite its liberal perspective, this is, overall, a balanced documentary, well-researched, comprehensive and excellently produced.
Balanced? Boers did not get to give their side of the story, as usual. I am sure my grand father would have a lot to say why he did not support Jan Smuts
@@gerhardvanzyl9770 read Stephen Mitford Goodson's biography on Jan Smuts.
Gerhard van Zyl why would anyone not support the great man Smuts?
@@hanoitripper1809 Again as has been said elsewhere, there was much hate and bitterness towards the Brits as a result of the barbaric atrocities committed by British (England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) soldiers during the war. For Smuts to enter the fold of Britain was a slap in the face of the women and children who died in the concentration camps!
@@Roxnolds There are numerous biographies of Jan Smuts. The one I read was "Smuts the Patriot" by Piet Meiring (1975) theologian, author and at one stage also chairman of the SABC Board'.
I didn't know much about him except for the fact that he was my Maternal Grandmother's cousin, so yes I was happy to see this documentary about him & his life ...
With Mandela, surely the greatest son of South African soil. His towering intellect and leadership entrenched western values world wide in the twentieth century. His obvious blind spot towards the black South African is deeply lamentable, but seen in contrast with the fascist leaders of the National Party like Malan and eventually Verwoerd, his was the leadership that this country needed more.
Mandela modelled his own leadership on the boer Generals he would often discuss them with the prison guards at robben Island
My great great grandfather was a personal friend of both Smuts and Herzog. My great grandfather grew up with the latter's kids, calling him "Oom Lokomotief." Being German citizens, my family was to be put in a camp during the world wars, but on both occasions, Smuts got them the privilege of house arrest rather than relocation with a personal letter to the local authorities. A great man.
A Puppet of the British Empire.
Wow. Awesome history. Brilliant man of his times. Thank the Lord we have moved on in South Africa.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, well done!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've read autobiographies about Jan Smuts, been to his house museum at Irene, by Pretoria, and so on.
Before the Anglo-Boer War he was pro-British, during the Anglo-Boer War he was anti-British, and after the Anglo-Boer War was pro-British.
During the Anglo-Boer War, Jan Smuts wrote the book 'A century of wrong'. It is said that it's by FW Reitz, but is actually by Jan Smuts. It's about the wrong ways of the British towards the Boers. It would be held against Jan Smuts for the rest of his life.
There were two sides to his personality. One was the spiritual side. This he had a lot at his house. It has a strong spiritual vibration. He also had that somewhat when abroad. He was for instance against the Treaty of Versailles. He was also one of the founders of the League of Nations & United Nations.
He was also good allies with Winston Churchill. There were times, when Churchill was away, that he would be ruling Britain. He was also, as mentioned, in favour of the British Empire. One mustn't judge history by today's standards.
There is then the other side of his personality, the physical side. which includes racist attitudes when ruling South Africa. So, he was like a different person in South Africa, and abroad. Jan Smuts was thus mostly disliked in South Africa, and mostly liked overseas.
in other words a turncoat
@@ottomeyer6928 No, in other words a nuanced and complex human being and not a sheep abiding by overly simplistic binaries....
@@ottomeyer6928 in other words a realist and pragmatist
Aquarius1011, this is by far the most sensible and objective synopsis I’ve read after all the comments I’ve seen about Gen Jan Smuts. You’ve helped fill in the gaps and I understand the mixed reactions, “remarkable” to some “sell out” to others. His contribution to the assembling of this country, whether good or bad, still remains worthy to be acknowledged
In my Boer view he was a snake with two heads
In 1869 the Boers did help Portuguese to attack humbi in the mataman region...
His loss to the NATS in 1948 was unbelievable (to him and the majority) and took South Africa down a road that we have not recovered from
Some times the old fashioned views are the correct views( shhh...but we're not supposed to say that)
A definite coup......
He was never with the National Party. Smuts' party was the South African Party (later morphing into the United Party), a party of reconciliation between Boer and Brit and central to his belief that divisive politics was destructive. The Nats were diametrically opposed to this, having Afrikaner domination at the core of their beliefs.
@@CONNELL19511216 not sure who you are replying. I said "his loss TO the NATS"
@@mvubu6823 Your wording is somewhat ambiguous.
Hertzog, Buxton, Malan, De Wet, Botha Verwoed and their notion of Afrikarner Nationalism with the aim of being independent of a dutch and british colony is what ruined South Africa's potential. South Africa is living today in the consequence of that post the Anglo Boer War Rand war Native Bill. If we are being honest. Smuts is part to blame.
See nothing in this that changes my opinion of him. The arch traitor of the nation. As smart as he was, he was either evil or completely detached from reality, or a bit of both.
Agree he was a freemason. Where the the money came from fo the build of the voortrekker monument .
Completely DETACHED indeed. Why did he export S A iron ore, and then import steel? And his pronouncing of rrrr
As South African I've read about the man from school in history books and I admire him. I'm an African origin
You should read wider than your history books.
One of the few humans who immediately understood and grasped the THEORY OF GENERAL RELATIVITY IN 1919 this theory was ALBERT EINSTEIN greatest work.
Our greatest statesman! Extremely intelligent a true Afrikaner, such a travesty that his own people who he fought for in the Boer War rejected him in the end. No statesman that came after him anywhere on the world stage came even close to his brilliance and statesmanship, he was head and shoulders above them.
Flaws of the times and of the man acknowledged, but South Africa has had no greater, or more brilliant a leader than he.
Whatever you think of Smuts, he was a South African that Winston Churchill said should replace him if anything happend to Churchill as Prime Minister of the UK.
Then Smuts must also have been a freemason, because Churchill is a well known freemason who would only have bestowed such privilege to another freemason
Excellent video. Thank you kindly
Glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant, thank you. Was there any interaction between Smuts and Adolph Sailor Malan?
Salior Malan His death was recognized by a condolences letter sent to his family by Winston Churchill,,,,,, No SA Govt officials acknowledged him, another great man destroyed by the N A T s ...... it is totally sad that in SA we have reverse Apartheid My father was excommunicated from the Dutch Reformed church in 1964 because he married a English woman we ended up in Rhodesia, The NATS did not only affect the people of colour a point missed by most
Flauwles beautiful History.
Well don't all geniuses have their flaws, all human beings in fact. The society he lead was fatally flawed.
Nobody is perfect, we all have our faults.
This is where our problems started. He was the beginning of the end!
Wow! As a south african, I never knew 90% of these facts.
I am sad, shocked, angry, all at once. Things could have been so different if only...
...the Hapsburgs had been dealt with early 14th c.
A brilliant documentary! Thank you.
It's interesting how there are always two camps. I'm from the camp that saw him as a sell-out to the British....no love lost.
I went to general smuts high school in Vereeniging. I did not this history. How sad is our education system.
Very good. This country belongs to the people.
What a Prophet Smuts is proving to be. We must be aware and pay attention to him.
Following Oppenheimer orders makes you a hero?
@ I didn't call him a hero but a prophet. Just as an aside; the world has always run on capital.
@ If you are going to engage in a discussion please make intelligent comments.
@ First of all Smuts was 26 years old when he became State Attorney in Kruger's government. What political experience do you expect at such a young age? Furthermore Smuts certainly didn't create or promote any aggressive war mongering with Milner. That was entirely Kruger's and his cabinets quite justified neurosis resulting from British colonial expansion. Britain was amassing troops on all the borders with the Boer Republics. A clear sighn of provocation. Read Peckenham on this subject. And what has Emily Hobhouse to do with this discussion? I said Smuts is proving to be a prophet on the race issue in this country. Stick to the argument/subject. You are all over the place. I never commented on the Great South African war in the first place. Peace brother
@ Lol. I really have no answer for you except to suggest you do a course in history so that your thinking can order itself.