3. Who was the more important in bringing about the end of apartheid and minority rule in South Africa, Nelson Mandela or president de klerk? Explain your answer.

        Nelson Mandela inspired many young black people to fight for what they believed in. He got other people to believe what he did; he believed that black and white people should be treated equally. He taught people that apartheid was wrong, and took it upon himself to try and change things. He dedicated everything he did to something he believed so strongly in, however he, himself could not put an end to apartheid in South African, but played a very important part in opposing it and influencing others to believe what he did.

FW De Klerk became president in 1990, he was the son of a leading National Party politician, and he was a life long National Party member and believed strongly in racial separation. Therefore he did not seem like someone who was going to change much. However he came out, surprising everyone, in his first speech as president he, took of the ban on the ANC, the PAC and the SACP, he announced the release of Nelson Mandela and his fellow prisoners, and he said he was going to work towards equal rights for all the South Africans. It was a big surprise for everyone, as De Klerk believed in racial segregation. There are many reasons why De Klerk may have helped to end apartheid. Firstly, South Africa was on the verge of a civil war, and the government no longer had total control over the country. South Africa’s economy was in a lot of trouble and if the apartheid continued there was a risk of this increasing. Lastly, De Klerk was a religious person and believed God had called him to lead South Africa to a new future. We can assume that the reasons above are why De Klerk ended apartheid, however the real reason is not known.

Son in conclusion I think that both men helped each other to achieve what they both wanted. Nelson Mandela played a part in his whole life against apartheid and De Klerk made it happened. However without each other none of this would have bin achieved. Therefore if this were not carried out then maybe right now the apartheid would still be going on in Africa between the white democracy and ANC.