'Fascist or opportunist?': The political career of Oswald Pirow, 1915-1943
| Autor: | F.A. Mouton |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Historia, Volume: 63, Issue: 2, Pages: 111-93, Published: 2018 |
| ISSN: | 2309-8392 0018-229X |
| DOI: | 10.17159/2309-8392/2018/v63n2a5 |
| Popis: | Oswald Pirow's established place in South African historiography is that of a confirmed fascist, but in reality he was an opportunist. Raw ambition was the underlying motive for every political action he took and he had a ruthless ability to adjust his sails to prevailing political winds. He hitched his ambitions to the political momentum of influential persons such as Tielman Roos and J.B.M. Hertzog in the National Party with flattery and avowals of unquestioning loyalty. As a Roos acolyte he was an uncompromising republican, while as a Hertzog loyalist he rejected republicanism and national-socialism, and was a friend of the Jewish community. After September 1939 with the collapse of the Hertzog government and with Nazi Germany seemingly winning the Second World War, overnight he became a radical republican, a national-socialist and an anti-Semite. The essence of his political belief was not national-socialism, but winning, and the opportunistic advancement of his career. Pirow's founding of the national-socialist movement, the New Order in 1940 was a gamble that "went for broke" on a German victory. In die Suid-Afrikaanse historiografie word Oswald Pirow getipeer as 'n oortuigde fascis, maar in werklikheid was hy 'n opportunis. Rou ambisie was die onderliggende motivering van alle politieke handelinge deur hom. Hy het die onverbiddelike vermoë gehad om sy seile na heersende politieke winde te span. Pirow het sy ambisies gekoppel aan die politieke momentum van invloedryke persone soos Tielman Roos en J.B.M. Hertzog in die Nasionale Party deur vleiery en absolute lojaliteit. As 'n Roos aanhanger was hy 'n onverbiddelike republikein, maar as 'n Hertzog lojalis het hy republikanisme en nasionaal-sosialisme verwerp, en was as 'n vriend van die Joodse gemeenskap gesien. Na September 1939, met die ineenstorting van die Hertzog regering, en met Nazi Duitsland wat besig was om die Tweede Wêreldoorlog te wen, het hy oornag in 'n radikale republikein, 'n nasionaal-sosialis en 'n anti-Semiet ontpop. Die wese van sy politieke siening was nie nasionaal-sosialisme nie, maar sy ambisie om te wen, en sy loopbaan te bevorder. Pirow se stigting van die nasionaal-sosialistiese Nuwe Orde in 1940 was 'n desperate dobbelspel op 'n Duitse militêre oorwinning. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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