<P> The Afrikaner state as a Christian civilisation thus had a divine right to stay separate and rule the surrounding "heathen" nations . </P> <P> Afrikaner nationalism and Nazism had common roots in religio - nationalism and Pan Germanism and therefore the racist elements of the former were easily assimilated into the earlier . For example, Afrikaner criticism of the capitalistic system inter-war period was quite anti-Semitic . Many Afrikaner nationalists also viewed a Nazi German style strong government as necessary to protect the volk . Just before, and during World War II, these sentiments led to the appearance of a number of pro-Nazi Afrikaner nationalistic organisations, such as the Ossewabrandwag and its paramilitary wing Stormjaers . </P> <P> J.B.M. Hertzog led the National Party to the 1915 and 1920 elections under the slogan "South Africa first" to create a South Africa independent from the British influence . In the 1924 elections he defeated the South African Party led by Jan Smuts, after Smuts had used force to end the Rand Revolt of white miners in 1922, and stayed in power for 15 years in a coalition government with the Labour Party . During his reign, he steadily promoted Afrikaner nationalism while deepening the racial segregation in the country . </P> <P> During the 1930s a group of Broederbond members shaped the Afrikaner nationalistic ideology, by trying to create a common "Christian - nationalistic" identity for all white, Afrikaans speaking South Africans as well as introducing the idea of Volkskapitalisme (people's capitalism) that tried to take control from the "British" or "Jewish" foreign economic system and to adapt it to Afrikaner's national character . Volkskapitalisme strived to improve the economic conditions of the Afrikaners who in general at the time were less well - off than the English - speaking whites in South Africa . In practice the program consisted of utilising the Afrikaner capital into new and existing Afrikaner businesses . Although volkskapitalisme managed to develop some Afrikaner businesses, such as Sanlam and Volkskas into corporate giants that still have a central role in South African economy, in the end the economic benefits for the majority of the poor Afrikaners were slim . </P>

The rise of afrikaner nationalism in south africa