How important was the opposition of other countries in bringing apartheid in South Africa to an end?

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Gemma Illsley 11Y

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How important was the opposition of other countries in bringing apartheid in South Africa to an end?

    I do agree that international opposition to apartheid was one of the factors in bringing it to an end. However I think there are other causes, both long and short term, that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa.

    People all over the world were shocked to see the violence in events like the Soweto riots and the Sharpeville and Langa shootings. They also saw the events occurring between the South African government and extremist groups like the ANC, which appeared during Verwoerd’s apartheid. These events were short-term causes that brought about the end of apartheid, but they had a large effect on international opinion, which was a long-term cause. However to the rest of the world, what actually happened in South Africa might have appeared different to the reality. This is because often, different interpretations were given by historians, and the people involved. This would have been fairly confusing for people outside South Africa, and they may not have ever really understood completely what was happening. Therefore many people would not think that apartheid was as bad for the blacks as it was in reality, because of the different interpretations given to the rest of the world. This may have led to little international opposition from some countries, which is why I do not think it was one of the major causes in the ending of apartheid.

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    Another long-term cause was black resistance. In the 1970’s the black South Africans fought back against the government in a far more powerful, bold way than they ever had done before. Extremist groups began to form in all the townships, and riots broke out. There was also the introduction of black consciousness, which was about blacks standing up for themselves without the help of whites. The riots that started as a result of the blacks fighting back at the government did cause international opinion to change. This could have been an intentional or un-intentional consequence, as the blacks ...

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