Grey Steel: J. C. Smuts - A Study in Arrogance - H. C. Armstrong
1 in stock
Description
'Grey Steel: J.C. Smuts — A Study in Arrogance' by H. C. Armstrong is a critical biography of Jan Christiaan Smuts (1870–1950), the South African statesman, soldier and political leader. First published in 1937, while Smuts was still alive and serving as a leading figure in the Union government, the book traces his rise from his Afrikaner farming background through the Anglo-Boer War and into his political and military career. Armstrong examines Smuts’s personality, intellect, ambitions and relationships, presenting a deliberately unsympathetic interpretation of his character and leadership. Drawing on published documents, Smuts’s own speeches and writings, and observations of his public life, the author aims to assess his subject from a distance rather than as a personal friend or admirer. The book’s strongly critical, pro-British perspective and its treatment of Afrikaner nationalism make it a revealing example of the political tensions surrounding Smuts during the interwar period. Illustrated with photographs and maps, it is a historically significant, though controversial, account of one of South Africa’s most prominent political figures.
Condition
Good condition, as pictured
Filed under: (Auto-)biographies