Jan Smuts was one of the key figures behind the creation of the League of Nations; Wilson was inspired by his ideas, including the mandates scheme. He pleaded for a magnanimous peace, warning that the treaty of Versailles would lead to another war.

'As this excellent book powerfully shows, he was a man of exceptional broad-mindedness, moral (and physical) courage, realistic wisdom happily married to idealism, admired and almost revered by major figures in Europe, and driven by a highly positive dynamism, all inspired by a passionate longing for, simply, a better world...' 'A great strength of this book is the fact that about 40% of it is made up of quotations - most from Smuts's own writings and speeches, but many uttered by leading British and European figures who knew him, and some by members of his family. The author mostly allows the characters to speak for themselves, which gives his account great solidity. A fascinating and inspiring read.' -- David Pike The Wittnes 20100922 'This excellent book by Anthony Lentin is in a series which concentrates on the men (including Smuts) who shaped the Paris Peace Conference after the First World War. Lentin not only describes Smuts' contribution in Paris, but he also outlines his life from farm boy of the Western Cape to his state funeral in Pretoria 80 years later. Lentin does this in less than 200 pages (excluding references and the index), which is a tribute to his clear, elegant and economical English style.' -- James Barber South African Journal of International Affairs

32 nations fought in the First World War. This 32-book series looks at the seminal events surrounding the Paris peace treaties through the eyes of the key leaders involved - genuinely the Makers of the Modern World.