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Jan Smuts was a brilliant man who played an important but peripheral role in the affairs of the 20th century. An Afrikaans by birth, he fought against the British in the Boer War and accepted what resulted from that conflict. As a distinguished Boer, he was politically active in the formation of South Africa and in dealing with the Indians whose leader was Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was fighting for Indian equality with the whites. Smuts and Gandhi shared a friendship which, although they were of different faiths, led to similar views on religion. Gandhi, a Hindu, rejected Hinduism while Smuts rejected the divinity of Christ but retained his belief in the secular Christ.
Having made his peace with the British and considered that the virtues of the British Empire outweighed its defects, he became the leader of the British forces in East Africa and won a victory over the German led forces. It was a definitive victory although the opposition never surrendered and ended up in southern Africa with 1000 Germans and 4000 native Africans.
By this time, Smuts had joined the War Cabinet in London and his influence continued at the Peace Conference in Paris. He acted for South Africa and was influential in introducing the mandate system for nations linked to the great powers. He also became friendly with Keynes and supported his book, The Economic Consequences of the Peace. As a Boer he understood the perils of alienating the defeated.
Between the wars he had an important role in South African politics. Although an Afrikaans he was thought too Anglophile by his fellow Boers. While Botha was alive he could be protected and they could act in tandem.
During the second war, he was Premier of South Africa and he was close to Churchill who recognised his worth and used him as a constant adviser and friend. They both shared a common greatness and they both agreed that Europe should be attacked in 1944 through the soft underbelly which led to Vienna.
Smuts had a philosophy which appealed to Einstein and Einstein suggested that his scientific approach and Smuts's philosophy of holism could be the intellectual basis of a new world order
