Another turning point in Mandela’s life was the formation of the MK, or Spear of the People, when he realised that peaceful protest wasn’t going to work (after seeing the Sharpeville and Langa massacres). It was from this that he was sentenced to jail in 1964, important because he achieved the world stage that would make him a symbol of unity for the worldwide anti-apartheid movement.
Mandela’s release in 1990 was the most important turning point in his life because it allowed him to unite the, now permitted, ANC factions. Unity these factions meant that the party could operate more effectively, as was proved when in 1994 Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
Q2. Explain the part played by external pressure in the fight against apartheid and minority rule in South Africa.
From 1960 onwards, when Harold Macmillan made his “change of winds” speech, the world started to place external pressures on South Africa, and this was one of the main causes of the end of apartheid. Economic sanctions and sporting isolation were the two main subdivisions of external pressure.
Sporting isolation made South Africa realise that the minority rule and the apartheid regime was greatly frowned upon by the rest of the world, and caused many Afrikaners to change their attitude to the way the country was being run; this was because they didn’t want to be excluded from the rest of the world’s competitions and tournaments solely for their governments issues; it made the Afrikaners feel guilty for the regime ruling South Africa. This attitude would eventually help in ending the apartheid regime.
Economic sanctions, however, were much more effective in the ending of minority rule. Foreign countries saw South Africa as a risky country to invest in because the sanctions against South Africa withdrew loans in businesses; businessmen found it harder to have prosperous companies worthy of foreign investment. The more influential businessmen could advise and pressure the government into changing its policies and regulations; it was in this way that the sanctions became effective in ending apartheid and minority rule.
Placing the sanctions on South Africa was difficult for nations to undertake because of the negative affect it would have on black employment, also the great resources South Africa had to offer would be inaccessible - having a dramatic effect on world trade.
Sanctions would eventually force the apartheid to collapse, Tambo’s speech in 1986 sums up this argument, and it was around this time when South Africa’s economy was suffering a financial crisis, the value of the Rand had dropped by 35%.
South Africa could live without sport, but there would be hardly any prosperity in the country with the harsh economic sanctions in place, and in the 1980’s the ministers realised the problem would only be solved by the minority rule coming to an end.
Q3. 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.
Mandela was a dedicated ANC supporter, and through setting up the ANC Youth League showing great charisma and fortitude in his early days achieved the respect of the Blacks, and more importantly, a world stage that would last until the election for him to be President in 1994.
It was because of this respect that Mandela could negotiate with the government even whilst still in jail, and this was important in ending apartheid because it led to the CODESA talks that ended the regime.
After Mandela was released from jail he had to unite the different factions of the ANC, which went on to be the party that ended minority rule in South Africa.
Soon after becoming president in 1989, de Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the ANC, released ANC leader Nelson Mandela from prison, abolished the principal laws of apartheid and instituted constitutional reform. De Klerk wanted to end apartheid because of the external pressures, influential businessmen, and national unrest, but to do so he had to bring the rest of his Nationalist party with him. De Klerk was on the right side of the party and so he had the ability to persuade the right wing into agreement that apartheid needed to be ended. If he had been on the left wing he would have been labelled as a liberal and his plans would not have worked. He took a great risk to his political career in 1992 by having a referendum on whether or not to end apartheid and this risk paid off because 70% voted “Yes”! F.W. de Klerk also began laying the groundwork for South Africa's first-ever multiracial elections, which were held in 1994, where Mandela’s ANC party (freed by de Klerk) won.
De Klerk was therefore more important in ending apartheid because of the risks that he, as President, needed to take and he even kept the CODESA talks going when even Mandela wanted to end them! De Klerk put effort throughout his career as President into paving the way for apartheid rule to become abolished; Mandela took the glory for freeing South Africa from apartheid but de Klerk did most of the work.
