- In full:
- James Barry Munnik Hertzog
- Born:
- April 3, 1866, near Wellington, Cape Colony [now in South Africa]
- Died:
- Nov. 21, 1942, Pretoria, S.Af. (aged 76)
- Title / Office:
- prime minister (1924-1939), South Africa
- Founder:
- National Party
- Political Affiliation:
- National Party
- United Party
- Role In:
- South African War
J.B.M. Hertzog
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Who was J.B.M. Hertzog?
J.B.M. Hertzog (1866–1942) was a South African soldier and statesman, who served as prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939. His political principles included "South Africa First" and the "Two Streams Policy," promoting equality between white South African groups, British and Afrikaner.
Trained in law, Hertzog became a judge before rising to prominence as a guerrilla leader during the South African War (1899–1902). In 1914, he formed the National Party and in 1924, with the support of the Labour Party, he became prime minister. As prime minister, Hertzog helped give the Union its flag and made Afrikaans an official language. When his motion to remain neutral in World War II was defeated in Parliament, Hertzog resigned.
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When was Hertzog the prime minister of South Africa?
J.B.M. Hertzog, born in the Cape Colony, served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939.
As prime minister, Hertzog achieved several milestones, including securing a flag for the Union, establishing Afrikaans as an official language, and safeguarding local industries. He also played a crucial role in the Statute of Westminster (1931), which affirmed the equality and right to secession for Britain's dominions.
However, divisions within his party regarding South Africa's role in World War II led to his resignation in September 1939, after his neutrality motion was defeated in Parliament. Subsequently, Jan Smuts formed a new government.
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What political party did Hertzog lead?
J.B.M. Hertzog, who served as prime minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939, founded the National Party in 1914. Earlier in 1907, he had also organized the Orangia-Unie (Orangia Union). In 1934, the National Party and South African parties joined to form the United Party. His key political principles included prioritizing South Africa's interests and advocating for equality between the British and Afrikaner communities.
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What were some of the main policies Hertzog introduced as prime minister?
As prime minister of South Africa, J.B.M. Hertzog, who served from 1924 to 1939, implemented several significant policies. He strengthened South Africa's autonomy and helped establish its independence in foreign affairs. Hertzog created national symbols like the flag and anthem and introduced protective tariffs for local industry, along with subsidies to boost agricultural exports. His government also aided local capital and aimed to protect white workers from Black competition. However, his racial policy led to greater segregation and disenfranchisement of Cape Africans.
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How did Hertzog's decisions affect South African society?
As Prime Minister of South Africa, J.B.M. Hertzog's decisions significantly shaped South African society through policies of segregation and economic nationalism. His policies led to greater segregation between whites and blacks, further disenfranchising Black Africans and expanding native reserves.
Hertzog's government implemented protective tariffs for local industry and subsidies for agricultural exports, which bolstered the economy but largely excluded Blacks from benefiting. Though some land was added to native reserves, it was insufficient, leading to overcrowding and soil erosion, forcing many Black men to seek work in hostile urban environments or on white farms under harsh conditions. Despite these measures, the Statute of Westminster in 1931 affirmed South Africa as a sovereign state.
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What conflicts or challenges did Hertzog face during his time as prime minister?
During his time as prime minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939, J.B.M. Hertzog faced several conflicts and challenges. His initial policies focused on South African freedom from British control, leading to the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which recognized the equality of the dominions. However, the Great Depression led him to form a coalition with Jan Smuts in 1933, which resulted in a merger of their parties.
Hertzog's government implemented a racial policy that increased segregation between whites and blacks, disenfranchised Cape Africans, and expanded native reserves. This approach was opposed by the Purified Nationalist Party, which advocated for even more stringent measures. The outbreak of World War II further divided his party, as Hertzog's insistence on neutrality was defeated in Parliament, leading to his resignation in 1939.
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J.B.M. Hertzog (born April 3, 1866, near Wellington, Cape Colony [now in South Africa]—died Nov. 21, 1942, Pretoria, S.Af.) was a soldier and statesman who held the post of prime minister of the Union of South Africa (see South Africa) from 1924 to 1939. His political principles, as first stated in his speeches in 1912, were “South Africa First” (even before the British Empire) and the “Two Streams Policy,” under which each part of the white South African nation—i.e., the British and the Afrikaner (Dutch)—would be free from domination by the other.
Hertzog was trained in law (Victoria College, Stellenbosch, and Amsterdam University) and practiced in Pretoria (1892–95) until appointed to the high court of the Orange Free State. During the South African War (1899–1902) he rose to assistant chief commandant of the Free State forces and became a resourceful and daring guerrilla leader. Though he would have preferred to fight on, Hertzog was persuaded to sign the Peace of Vereeniging (May 1902).
Hertzog then entered politics by organizing the Orangia-Unie (Orangia Union). When self-government was given to the largely Afrikaner Orange Free State in 1907, he became a member of the Cabinet and created a national controversy by championing the Dutch language. In 1910 he was taken into the Union’s first Cabinet under Louis Botha, but his strong nationalist views caused Botha to form a new government without him in 1912. Hertzog, meanwhile, formed the National Party (1914), which gained strength by opposing Botha’s active support of Britain during World War I. He also pursued policies of South African freedom from British control and dual-medium education in Afrikaans (the language of Afrikaners, developed from Dutch) and English, and he encouraged bilingualism among civil servants. In 1924, with the support of the Labour Party, Hertzog became prime minister.
As prime minister, Hertzog led the government that gave the Union its flag, made Afrikaans an official language, and protected home industries. In imperial conferences he helped to pave the way for the Statute of Westminster (1931), by which Britain recognized the equality of the dominions, including their right to secede. Intrigues within his own party and the failure of his policy to preserve the gold standard moved Hertzog into a coalition with Jan Smuts in 1933. The next year the National and South African parties joined to form the United Party. With the strong support of Afrikaners, Hertzog carried through a racial policy that resulted in greater segregation of whites and blacks, disenfranchisement of the Cape Africans, and the expansion of the native reserves. Nevertheless, he was outflanked by the opposition Purified Nationalist Party led by Daniel F. Malan, who, opposing the fusion with the South African Party, advocated more stringent measures.
In the 1938 election Hertzog’s party won a great triumph, but the outbreak of World War II led to his downfall. Though agreed on internal matters, his party was divided on the question of South Africa’s role in the war. He insisted on neutrality; Smuts and his followers felt that South Africa’s place was next to Britain. When Hertzog’s motion to remain out of the war was defeated in Parliament (Sept. 4, 1939) by a vote of 80 to 67, he resigned, and Smuts formed a new government. Healing the breach between himself and Malan’s Purified Nationalists, Hertzog became the leader of the opposition. The reunion survived until Malan’s followers rejected Hertzog’s program of equal rights for British South Africans and Afrikaners. At the end of 1940 an embittered Hertzog retired from politics.