The factors that led to the downfall of Apartheid in South Africa

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Brian Lockyer History essay - fall of Apartheid 34/04/08

"By 1989, South Africa was descending into chaos. The African National Congress had given the order, make South Africa ungovernable. Assess the role played by the different protest groups in the country during the 1980's as well as international pressure and discuss which played the biggest role in bringing apartheid to the end"

There were many factors that led to the downfall of apartheid; I believe that it was a combination of aspects and not just a certain aspect that led to the eventual demise of the Apartheid government. These factors can be broken down into domestic factors such as riots, protest groups, sabotage etc and international factors that include economic sanctions, the banning of South African sport teams as well as the total expulsion of South Africa from international relations as well as the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war.

The human loss of life was also another reason why Apartheid was abolished in 1990. One hundred or so people killed in mass riots or even one or two people who were tortured and then murdered, caused a lot of