Nelson Mandela and the Fight Against Apartheid
Perseverance and Integrity in the Face of Trials and Tribulations: Nelson Mandela’s Role in the Realization of Racial Equality and Freedom in South Africa
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………..2 Chaos and Dissension in South Africa…………………………………………...3 Mandela – The Charismatic Leader……………………………………………….5 Iconic Image of Integrity and Perseverance………...…………………….………6 Uniting the African National Congress……………..………………………....….9 Mandela Takes Reconciliatory Action…………….………………………….….11 Mandela’s Unique Advantage ……………………..……………………….……13 Conclusion……………………………….…………..……………………………15 Bibliography……………………………….…………..………………………….16
Introduction The iconic figure of Nelson Mandela stands today as a perpetual symbol of perseverance in the long battle to dismantle apartheid. It was a battle for which he was “prepared to die for,” a struggle against not only white domination but also black domination.[1] However, as the apartheid era drew to a close, Mandela’s crusade for a democratic “rainbow nation”[2] looked despairingly unattainable as South Africa came perilously close to descending into utter chaos. Nevertheless, Mandela, long time anti-apartheid activist and leader in the African National Congress (ANC), continued the struggle for his dream of a multicultural nation. Some have expressed the opinion that though the African National Congress was without a doubt instrumental in the peaceful and democratic revolution ending apartheid, Mandela himself was merely a figurehead for the ANC in their 1994 election win and in reality it was the many other leading senior executives that guided the ANC to victory. More prominent is the belief that the destruction of the outdated and inhumane apartheid system was long overdue. Mandela, as leader of the ANC, merely the beneficiary of this mass change in attitude that ultimately resulted in the election of the ANC in 1994.[3] Although
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………..2 Chaos and Dissension in South Africa…………………………………………...3 Mandela – The Charismatic Leader……………………………………………….5 Iconic Image of Integrity and Perseverance………...…………………….………6 Uniting the African National Congress……………..………………………....….9 Mandela Takes Reconciliatory Action…………….………………………….….11 Mandela’s Unique Advantage ……………………..……………………….……13 Conclusion……………………………….…………..……………………………15 Bibliography……………………………….…………..………………………….16
Introduction The iconic figure of Nelson Mandela stands today as a perpetual symbol of perseverance in the long battle to dismantle apartheid. It was a battle for which he was “prepared to die for,” a struggle against not only white domination but also black domination.[1] However, as the apartheid era drew to a close, Mandela’s crusade for a democratic “rainbow nation”[2] looked despairingly unattainable as South Africa came perilously close to descending into utter chaos. Nevertheless, Mandela, long time anti-apartheid activist and leader in the African National Congress (ANC), continued the struggle for his dream of a multicultural nation. Some have expressed the opinion that though the African National Congress was without a doubt instrumental in the peaceful and democratic revolution ending apartheid, Mandela himself was merely a figurehead for the ANC in their 1994 election win and in reality it was the many other leading senior executives that guided the ANC to victory. More prominent is the belief that the destruction of the outdated and inhumane apartheid system was long overdue. Mandela, as leader of the ANC, merely the beneficiary of this mass change in attitude that ultimately resulted in the election of the ANC in 1994.[3] Although
Bibliography: Davis, R. Hunt, ed. Apartheid Unravels. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 1991. Questia. Deluca, Anthony R. Gandhi, Mao, Mandela, and Gorbachev: Studies in Personality, Power, and Politics. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2000. Questia. Eades, Lindsay Michie. The End of Apartheid in South Africa. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. Glad, Betty, and Robert Blanton. "F.W. De Klerk and Nelson Mandela: A Study in Cooperative Transformational Leadership." Presidential Studies Quarterly 27.3 (1997): 565+. Questia. Horwitz, Robert B. Communication and Democratic Reform in South Africa. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Questia. Juckes, Tim J. Opposition in South Africa: The Leadership of Z.K. Matthews, Nelson Mandela, and Stephen Biko. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1995. Kitchen, J. Coleman, ed. South Africa: Twelve Perspectives on the Transition. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1994. Questia. Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom. New York. Little, Brown and Company, 1994. Mandela, Nelson. Nelson Mandela Speaks. “ Compilation of Public Speeches 1990-1993.” New York. Pathfinder, 1993. Meredith, Martin. Coming to Terms: South Africa 's Search for Truth. New York: Public Affairs, 1999. Salazar, Philippe-Joseph. An African Athens: Rhetoric and the Shaping of Democracy in South Africa. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002. Whittaker, David J. Conflict and Reconciliation in the Contemporary World. London: Routledge, 1999. Questia.