Greater South Africa: Plans for a Better World — The Speeches of J.C. Smuts (Truth Legion, 1940) is an important historical collection of addresses by Jan Christiaan Smuts, one of South Africa’s most influential statesmen of the twentieth century. This edition was published in 1940 by Truth Legion in Johannesburg, bringing together speeches in which Smuts outlines his vision for national unity, global cooperation, and the role South Africa could play in shaping a more stable and prosperous world order.
Greater South Africa spans 191 pages of speeches and commentary, tracing themes central to Smuts’s political philosophy at a pivotal moment in world history — the early years of the Second World War and debates about international structures that would later influence the founding principles of the United Nations. Within these speeches, Smuts advocates for unity among peoples and nations, articulates his perspectives on governance and justice, and situates South Africa within larger geopolitical currents of the time.
Originally published as a hardcover edition, Greater South Africa: Plans for a Better World carries the gravitas of its subject matter in both scope and presentation. The book is a valuable primary source for those studying South African political history, Commonwealth history, and the intellectual legacy of Smuts as a philosopher-politician. His reflections on race relations, imperial cooperation, and world order provide insight into the ideas that guided his leadership as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa during critical years of global upheaval.
Today, this 1940 edition is sought after by collectors of Africana, historians, and readers interested in the speeches and policies of one of South Africa’s most consequential figures. Its combination of historical significance and period context ensures it remains a noteworthy component of any serious collection of South African political literature.
Condition: Good – Light wear on cloth boards. Without dust jacket. Light foxing present.
