Apartheid Essay - Grade: A PDF

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Apartheid essay on South Africa ...

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The Apartheid DBQ South Africa was one of the last nations to gain its independence. Ever since the Early Modern Era, South Africa has been under the rule of Afrikaaners, or the Dutch since around 1652. For centuries Africans have been cruelly treated because of the belief in the concept Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism was used as a reason to justify why whites were superior to blacks. Africans were denied access to proper education, medical care, or any political freedom including the right to vote. They were forced to live in ghettos and were paid extremely low wages. However by 1990 South Africa was able to gain its independence because of four factors: economic hardship and pressure from the international community, the rise of Black Consciousness as promoted by Steve Biko, the example of Nelson Mandela, and the courage of F.W. deKlerk. Economic hardship was one of the main reasons why South Africa was able to achieve their independence. In resistance to the national apartheid, the international community imposed many boycotts and sanctions (trade and financial restrictions). Through these sanctions, trade with other countries virtually came to a standstill, causing a major decline in the economy. (D3) Foreign corporations refused to invest in South Africa. (D2) Another reason the economy declined was because of South African military involvement in wars in other neighboring countries such as Namibia and Angola. The South African government was forced to spend a large part of their federal budget on maintaining a powerful, well-trained military and police force to maintain the system of apartheid. The current economic system proved to be unable to maintain itself under the financial strain of sanctions, security expenses, and military costs, and the government was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. (D2) Dissatisfaction among the

population and social unrest grew as a result. The arms embargo against South Africa attracted international attention against apartheid and stirred up opposition against the South African government. Author Alexander Laverty notes:”the economic sanctions were certainly the final straw in the campaign against the apartheid government.” The world-wide movement against apartheid contributed significantly to its collapse. Another reason apartheid came to end was the rise of a movement called Black consciousness as promoted by Steve Biko. In 1968, he founded the South African Student Organization (SASO), a group that broke away from the National Union of South African Students. SASO believed that,”victims of white racism should unite and cease to depend on white organizations that claimed to work for their benefit” (D9) Steve Biko promoted the idea that blacks should feel pride in themselves, in their race, and in their culture. He encouraged people to “rally together...and to operate as a group” (D5, 9) in order to protest against the injustices and cruelties of the apartheid. The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) had the important effect of eliminating divisions within the black community and promoting unity and solidarity among the black groups in South Africa. The BMC sparked a major confrontation on June 16th, 1976 in the Soweto uprising where 176 people were killed by South African security forces as black students marched to protest the use of the Afrikaans language in African schools. (D5)This caused further unrest among the population. The BMC was a short-lived group-- many of its programs were banned under the South African police and its founder Steve Biko was murdered by South African police forces in 1977. One of the most important reasons for the overthrow of the apartheid and the gaining of south African independence was the leadership and example of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison located at Robben Island along with many others for

fighting against racial inequality. As a young law student he founded the youth segment of the African National Congress (ANC) and became its commander in 1950. (D7,9) He steered the organization towards a strategy of nonviolent protests including strikes, boycotts, and other acts of civil disobedience. This was known as the Defiance campaign. The South African government resorted to violence in order to squash the anti-apartheid resistance. In 1960 police opened fire on 7000 protesters in the town of Sharpeville, killing 69 of them. In response, Nelson Mandela went abroad to raise money to arm the movement. He and other ANC leaders decided that they would carry out acts of sabotage against government property without killing civilians. But in 1963 Nelson Mandela was found guilty of treason against the government. He spent the next 27 years in prison often under brutal conditions because he fought for what was right. During his imprisonment he became a symbol, both in South Africa and internationally, of the struggle against injustice. (D1)New organizations and leaders emerged to carry on the fight as well as a powerful international anti-apartheid movement. His commitment to fighting for democracy and freedom for all South Africans made him a beacon of hope to all who fought for their freedom as well. He was considered a major threat to Afrikaans, because of this it was forbidden to have a picture of him in your house or even to discuss him.(D1) Those who broke this restriction were often punished or sometimes even arrested. Nelson Mandela was also crucial to the independence of South Africa because he was against violence. He was willing to forgive and reconcile which is most likely why the government even considered negotiating with him. In fact, he established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which influenced Africans to be forgiving instead of bitter or resentful. In the historic 1994 “free” elections, he was elected South Africa’s first black president and continued to push for acts of peace. (D1)Nelson Mandela’s

example of reconciliation and fighting for the rights of Africans is one of the major reasons why South Africa gained its independence and why he’s seen as a symbol of hope today. Finally, another crucial reason why South Africa gained its independence was the courage of F.W. de Klerk. He was the prime minister of South Africa. At first, F.W. deKlerk was supportive of white supremacy until the boycotts, but under pressure started to fight for antiapartheid positions. F.W. deKlerk saw the futility of the Apartheid;knowing that it wouldn’t last and that his party would be strongly against fighting for the anti-apartheid deKlerk did so anyways. Under his leadership “he along with other recruited Afrikaan leaders were able to dismantle the system of apartheid.” (D8) Unlike the pointless guerilla resistance that occurred within the South Africans, F.W. deKlerk and the others were able to make a greater impact. He eliminated restrictions that banned the ANC and prohibited political groups. He suspended executions. In fact, “he liberated key political prisoners including Mandela from prison.” (D8) He made it clear that he was willing to negotiate with Nelson Mandela. deKlerk and Mandela began to meet in secret to negotiate the future regarding South Africa. They agreed on a presidential election along with equal voting rights for all South Africans. (D4) In 1991, F.W. deKlerk passed legislation of discriminatory laws in South Africa which helped bring about the first multi-racial election in South African history in 1994. The election resulted in Nelson Mandela becoming the first black president of South Africa. Both deKlerk and Mandela were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. F.W. (D4) deKlerk’s courage is another major reason why South Africa gained its independence. In conclusion, South Africa was able to gain its independence because of economic sanctions and pressure from the international community, the BMC promoted by Steve Biko, the leadership of Nelson Mandela, and the courage of F.W. deKlerk. However, South Africa still

faces many difficult challenges even today. There are still interethnic rivalries within the black majority community, and white supremacists are still racist and resent the new political system. South Africa gained its independence for four reasons; because of economic sanctions and boycotts, the BMC, the leadership and example of Nelson Mandela, and the courage of F.W. deKlerk....