Paul Kruger

Paul Kruger (1825 - 1904) was a Politician Boer, president of the Republic of Transvaal in South Africa of 1883 with 1902.

Origins

The family origins of Paul Kruger in South Africa go back to Jacob Kruger (1690 - 1749). This one had been born close to Berlin in Prussia and had unloaded in the Colonie of the Cape in 1714 like soldier with the service of the Compagnie Dutchwoman of the Eastern Indies. It had settled thereafter in the colony as a farmer.

Among its descendants, some had become Trekboers (nomads) which had finally taken root in the area of Cradock.

Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger was born the October 10th 1825 in Zoutpansdrift, close to Venterstad in the Colonie of the Cape, South Africa. He is the son of Kasper Jan Hendrik Kruger, and Elsie Fransina born Steyn.

He spends only three months to the school and makes the essence of his education in the middle of the Veld.

The young participant in Large Trek (1835-1840)

Its family belongs to the fourteen thousand Boer S which emigrates of the Colonie of the Cape in the years 1835 - 1840 at the time of the Grand Trek.
Carried out by her father, Casper Kruger, the family of Paul Kruger joined initially the convoy of Piet Retief in 1836 with which it takes part in the engagements against the Zoulou S. Kruger unite then with the convoy of Hendrik Potgieter with which they cross the Fleuve Vaal in 1838. Casper Kruger and its brother take part then in the foundation of Potchefstroom, first boer city located at the north of the borders of the colony of Cap.

A little later, Casper Kruger installs its family in north more, in the district of Rustenburg.

The farmer of Transvaal (1840-1855)

In 1841, 16 years old, Paul Kruger émancipe of his family and builds a farm with the foot of the Magaliesberg mounts. Interested by the military questions, he is also second lieutenant in the “army of Transvaal”.

In 1842, it marries Maria of Plessis. The couple remains a time with Casper Kruger in the east of Transvaal before returning to be established in Rustenburg where Maria and her new-born child die both of Paludisme in 1846.

Paul Kruger remarie then with Gezina of Plessis, ex-wife of her cousin, of which it will have seven girls and nine boys (some died in low age). It is in this part of the continent that Kruger acquires its first farm, Waterkloof.

The participation of its family in the Grand Trek is used for to him then to take part in the political life of the Republic of Transvaal.

Political ascendance in Transvaal (1854-1881)

In 1854, Kruger is commander de Rustenburg.

In 1856, he is member of the republican Parliament ( Volksraad ) which writes the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Transvaal).

In 1858, it is promoted general commander of Transvaal making of him the second character of the Republic of South Africa.

In 1859, this man of faith Calviniste is one of the founders of Gereformeerde Kerk, the reformed Church of Transvaal.

In 1873, Kruger resigns of the command-general of the army of Transvaal to withdraw itself in its farm of Boekenhoutfontein.

In 1874, its retirement ends with its election at the executive council of Transvaal followed by his nomination to the vice-presidency of Transvaal. In 1877, it is one of the rare leaders of the republic to be opposed to the annexation of Transvaal by the Britannique S. It then goes in England in order to protest against the annexation of Transvaal. In 1878, it still forms part of the second delegation which goes to London then goes to Paris where it flies over the city on board a Montgolfière.

When protest them near the British appear vain, it founds a triumvirate with Piet Joubert and Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, wire of Andries Pretorius and former president of the republic, with like objective building a resistance movement.

In 1881, it orders the rebellious armed forces boers. The victory of Boers with Majuba in 1881 obliges the Britannique S with seriously negotiating a new autonomy for Transvaal.

The president of Transvaal (1883-1902)

In 1883, 57 years old, Paul Kruger is elected president of the Republic of South Africa (Transvaal), station to which he is re-elected 4 times of suite.
In 1884, it manages to negotiate supplements it independence of Transvaal (Convention of London). At the time of its voyage, it leads a triumphal round to the Netherlands, in Belgium in France and Spain. In Germany, it is received by the Kaiser and the chancellor Otto von Bismarck, at the time of an imperial banquet given in its honneur.

Calviniste practitioner, austere, fine politicking, Kruger becomes the symbol of Boer resistant to the British.

Starting from 1886, the rush towards the Or of Transvaal obliges nevertheless the State transvaalien to build ways of Railroads, streets in the new cities and all kinds of conveniences and services hitherto non-existent. The exploitation and industry mines stimulate the trade and the quickly making transport sector of Transvaal the new economic center of South Africa with depends on the Colonie of the Cape. The surge of foreign workers, the uitlanders , risk henceforth to threaten the political power of Boers but Kruger refuses to grant to them the citizenship in spite of the British pressures.
In 1893, re-elected accuracy, Paul Kruger must face nevertheless with a stronger opposition which reproaches him its inflexibility and its economic policy misfit with the new challenges of the modernité.
Cut off in its convictions drawn literally from the holy-writings, freedom and the religion are in fact the axioms of its policy. He is then regarded a providential man by his compatriots of Transvaal but as a Anachronisme by the British. Its opposition to all the British requests concerning the rights of the uilanders, leads to a serious antagonism with the colonial office and the Colonie of the Cape.

The Raid Jameson on Transvaal with the end of the year 1895, undertaken by friends of Cecil Rhodos, Prime Minister for the Cape, marks the starter of the release of the hostilities between Boers and Britanniques. Initially, nevertheless, the calm one and the determination of Kruger in its management of the Jameson raid enables him to save its capacity whereas its rival of the Cape, Cecil Rhodos, is constrained to resign. But for Kruger, the Jameson raid confirms that the British follow only one policy based on the fraud, the intimidation, the pressure and the banditism. In 1898, Paul Kruger is elected fourth once at the presidency of the country against the chief of the Court of justice, John Gilbert Kotzé. He is avenged then for his opponent by making it dislocate his legal function taking a great freedom with the constitution and the separation of the capacities. At this point in time a political young man and lawyer originating in the Cape, Jan Smuts, presented a report of defense of Kruger argued particularly well, legitimating the reference of Kotzé of the Court of justice.

Impressed by qualities and the rhetoric of Smuts, Kruger inserts young the 28 year old lawyer in his government.

A president in war (1899-1902)

The October 11th 1899, after ultimate negotiations with Bloemfontein, the second Guerre of Boers is started. Combined with the free State of Orange, Transvaal is quickly demolishes in spite of successes of resistance boer.

The May 7th 1900, Kruger attends its last parliamentary session of Volksraad before leaving Pretoria definitively the May 29th.

In October 1900, Kruger joined Lourenço-Marks with the Mozambique where it embarks for the Europe on the warship sent especially by the queen of the Netherlands. It leaves then Jan Smuts and the generals boers to continue the guerilla in his absence. Its goal is to obtain from the financial aid and soldier of the Western governments. It is obliged to leave his wife in South Africa because too sick, she cannot accomplish the voyage. It never re-examines it because she dies the July 20th 1901 whereas it is in Europe.
In spite of the sympathy of Europeans to Boers and the success of its round in Europe, from Marseilles in the Netherlands, Kruger no official help obtained. Only some idealists fought at the sides of the commandos boers.

The exile (1902-1904)

It is in the Netherlands that Kruger receives the news of the signature of the Traité of Vereeniging. In 1902, it is in Utrecht that it receives there the visit of the generals boers Louis Botha, Christiaan de Wet and Koos of Rey.

Not being able to return in his country, Paul Kruger must then settle with Clarens in Suisse where he dies the July 14th 1904.

Its body was transported to $the Hague before being repatriated in South Africa where it is buried the December 16th 1904 with the cemetery of Pretoria on Church Street.

A symbol of the history afrikaner

Paul Kruger is a true icon afrikaner in South Africa. The October 10th, day of its birth, was non-working until in 1994.

Many were the British who irritated themselves that an individual as Kruger could play such a major part in the history of South Africa. They were the first to qualify its physique of pushing back and ugly, to make fun in its coarse ways and its qualified ideas reactionaries. They could not see in him a serious interlocutor and rightly, Kruger could not be qualified of man of modernity. However, it was a " typical representative of the company boer, prototype of the excessively pious person, puritan, persevering, been obstinated, individuality, living only for God and the siens" . If it did not have much instruction, nor of general culture, this austere and simple man was intelligent and perspicacious. For Sir Bartle Brother, one of his larger opponents, Kruger were " a catch crafty one, which under wrongfully clownesques manners and a pretended ignorance, dissimulates talents considérables". Kruger had assimilated all the strings of political art. It could direct, reconcile, perceive and handle its adversaries.

Physically, Kruger had a recognizable style with its inseparable top hat, its coated hair of coconut oil which made the joy of the caricaturists. But there remained a simple Head of State whose woman milked the cows in her official residence of Pretoria. If its wages were raised, he spent little and with its death, his/her 156 children and small children shared a sum considérable.

Homages

the largest national park which it had creates under the name of reserve of Sabie just like bears its name (National park Kruger) since the years 1920 the town of Krugersdorp in the suburbs of Johannesburg as well as very many arteries of the cities located on the territory of the old republics boers.
Gezina, in the suburbs of Pretoria honors the memory with sound épouse.
Its statue decorates the principal place of Pretoria (Church Square).
Its house of Church street in Pretoria became a museum (Kruger House Museum).
Of the statues of Paul Kruger was set up in the National park Kruger and in Rustenburg.
Its effigy is reproduced finally on the gold coins, the Krugerrand.
In France, of many arteries carries its patronym in particular to Lyon, Villeurbanne, Marseilles, Courbevoie, Châlon-sur-saône, Saint-Maur-of-Ditches…
In 2004, it is quoted in 27e position on the list of the 100 larger south-africains.

Ohm Krüger (1941), German film of propaganda Nazi

The figure of Paul Kruger was used by the Propagande Nazi through the film Ohm Krüger turned in 1941 by Hans Steinhoff and diffused in France under the title the President Kruger . It was a question for the Nazis of using a historical, of German origin, religious bigot and anti-British, known charismatic chief for his nationalism, on funds of the Guerre of Boers, of its competition with English Cecil Rhodos and of the Concentration camps British in which died of the thousands of civilians boers. Realized into full Second world war, the last scene of film ended in a Prophétie (invented) of Kruger announcing the nearest fall of England.

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