Publisher's Synopsis
In many ways the defense posture of a state (which may, of course, be aggressive) stands as hard evidence of its ruling elite's self-image and perception of its territorial mission. As a component of foreign policy, defense policy may also be viewed as instrumental to domestic configurations of power. Thus it is the purpose of this paper to examine various features of South African defense legislation as they have evolved since 1912. It will also discuss them in the context of the gradual emergence of a relatively united white "nation" out of the dichotomy of the Afrikaner volk and English-speakers loyal to the British crown, the two components of the embryonic white polity when the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910. (From the introduction)
