This thesis deals with the development of the political environment and society in the Union of South Africa between 1939 and 1948. This period is characterized not only by close cooperation with Great Britain during World War II, the temporary suppression of nationalist opposition and the dominance of the United Party led by Jan Smuts in the South African political scene, but also social tensions and escalating conflict between the mainly Afrikaner "white" populations in the Union and non- European ethnic groups. Regardless of the fact that the Union was in World War II on the side of the victors and the sacrifice that had to bring in comparison with many other belligerent countries was relatively small, Smuts and his United Party suffered a fatal defeat in the first post-war elections in 1948. These elections not only meant the actual end of Smuts' political career and departure of United Party to permanent opposition, but also the beginning of the rule of Afrikaner nationalists for more than forty years. This paper aims to analyse the changes in society and the political climate in the Union during World War II and in the first three years after the war and the reasons that led to long-term dominance of nationalists in South Africa. Key Words Union of South Africa, Second World War, Union...

This dissertation studies the First World War South African campaign in German South West Africa from 1914 until 1915. The campaign was characterised by the high mobility of the Union’s mounted soldiers which enabled swift advances and rapid envelopments. The German forces applied a defensive strategy relying on the lack of water and remoteness of the terrain to deter and prolong the Union’s invasion. The German force also relied on internal lines of communication to concentrate its forces on the Union’s advancing columns. The Union Defence Forces’s numbered approximately 50 000 compared to the German force of about 7 000. The campaign culminated on 9 July 1915 with the surrender of almost the entire German fighting force intact. This study analyses whether the victory can be attributed to the Union Defence Forces’s numerical superiority or the operational strategy and tactics which were applied during the campaign. It is argued that this operational strategy is congruent with the modern theory of manoeuvre warfare and that the campaign is therefore a textbook example of manoeuvre warfare theory / History / M.A. (History)

This dissertation studies the First World War South African campaign in German South West Africa from 1914 until 1915. The campaign was characterised by the high mobility of the Union’s mounted soldiers which enabled swift advances and rapid envelopments. The German forces applied a defensive strategy relying on the lack of water and remoteness of the terrain to deter and prolong the Union’s invasion. The German force also relied on internal lines of communication to concentrate its forces on the Union’s advancing columns. The Union Defence Forces’s numbered approximately 50 000 compared to the German force of about 7 000. The campaign culminated on 9 July 1915 with the surrender of almost the entire German fighting force intact. This study analyses whether the victory can be attributed to the Union Defence Forces’s numerical superiority or the operational strategy and tactics which were applied during the campaign. It is argued that this operational strategy is congruent with the modern theory of manoeuvre warfare and that the campaign is therefore a textbook example of manoeuvre warfare theory / History / M.A. (History)