Apartheid South Africa (Mini EE)

Nelson Mandela smiling

Photo credit: Per Andres / Getty Images

How important was Nelson Mandela for ending apartheid?

BY: Jihad Al Sheikh Ahmad
History 1 I
Birkerød Gymnasium 4/6/2021
2|Page

Introduction
South Africa is one of the countries that have a rich and fascinating history, and it is
currently one of the most developed states in Africa. Though in this research I will not be
talking about the present or future of South Africa but its past. Have you ever wondered
how it would feel like to be part of a majority in a country yet be inferior and be treated
unequally in your own land just because of your race well get ready to have your mind
blown because this was the case in the apartheid era of South Africa from 1948 through
1994, the word apartheid itself is an Afrikaans word means separateness? The apartheid
system of South Africa aimed to protect the domination of the white South Africans over
non-whites in every aspect of life. White South Africans believed that South Africa was their
God-given land and that the white race was superior, so the black majority was seen as a
threat. If you want to imagine apartheid in our present world, just think of Israel since it is
the only country in our present time to be considered an apartheid state by the human
rights watch and others. During apartheid, People in South Africa were classified into four
racial categories white, black, Indian, and colored (mixed race). But how did the country
come to be ruled by racist laws which enshrined white supremacy and how did such a small
outnumbered white minority come to control and oppress the black hf majority.
2021-06-10 19:44:38
--------------------------------------------
this essay will discuss how important nelson Mandela was for ending apartheid?
you both ask how it came to be ruled by
racist laws and how important mandela was
for ending apartheid. So there is kind of two
Chapter 1: How did apartheid start and what is it. questions instead of one. Maybe the first
question is merely background knowledge to
the second
In South Africa, institutionalized segregation based on race began nearly 400 but thatago
years must be more clear in
the introduction. Otherwise a good intro
when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for its employees in
the Cape region. Then the British got interested in South Africa, The British wanted to
control South Africa because it was one of the trade routes to India. However, when gold
and diamonds were discovered in the 1860s-1880s their interest in the region increased.
This brought them into conflict with the Dutch. Wars happened between the Dutch and the
British and we call these wars the Anglo- bore wars. The winner of these wars was Great
Britain and that is why English is one of the official languages in South Africa. And that is
why we currently have millions of white people in South Africa.

The Apartheid became official after World War two through the racist rules against black
South Africans started in 1913. The South African government introduced internal passports
to prevent black people from entering areas dominated by whites, black people had to
always carry these passports, unlike the whites. The natives were not allowed to buy land
from whites and vice versa. and at that time natives only owned about 20% of the land. the
great depression and World War two convinced the government to tighten its policy
because of the economic crisis. In 1948 the Afrikaner National Party won the general
election under the slogan apartheid. By 1950 the government has banned for example
marriages between whites and non-whites. Then they divided the public into 4 groups
white, mixed, black, and Indian. Then a series of land acts gave the whites 80% of the
countries land. The government wanted to segregate races as much as they could, so they
started establishing facilities for whites and non-whites.
Blacks were divided into 10 areas based on tribal groups and by 1970 the black people were
required to declare citizenship in one of these tribal reserves where they could have some
political freedom though they were excluded from national politics, these tribal areas were
really poor and overcrowded. And Blacks were limited to the type of jobs they could hold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7yvnUz2PLE
https://www.history.com/topics/africa/apartheid#:~:text=After%20the%20National%20Party%20gai
ned,and%20use%20separate%20public%20facilities.
https://go-gale-com.bib173.bibbaser.dk/ps/start.do?p=SUIC&u=lyngby
https://go-gale-com.bib173.bibbaser.dk/ps/start.do?p=BIC&u=lyngby
Chapter 2: Nelson Mandela
A leader is a man who comes closest to realizing the norms of a group that values the
highest; this conformity gives him his high rank, which attracts people and implies the right
to assume control of the group. The underlying need structure of the individual is what
motivates his behavior in various leadership situations. Leadership style thus refers to the
consistency of goals or needs in different situations. One of the great leaders who had the
above qualities fulfilled in him is the former South African president, Nelson Rolihlahla
Mandela. His leadership traits, behavior, and the situations that prove him a good leader
have been portrayed below.

Nelson Mandela was born on the 18th of July 1918 to the royal family of the Thembu tribe in
Mvezo South Africa. His birth name was Rolihlahla, which means troublemaker. At the age
of seven When he started in school his lady teacher miss Minigame gave him the name
Nelson because all children there were supposed to have a Christian name. at the age of 16,
the chief said that Mandela was ready to become a man and get circumcised though he had
to do something risky to become a man, so Mandela stole a pig.
Mandela had the best education available for black people in South Africa since his father
was a chief of a tribe. His father died when he was 12 years old. He started studying law at
Fort Hare University in 1939 though he got expelled in the second year because of a political
strike in 1941 he escaped an arranged marriage. In 1942 he completes BA through the
University of South Africa. The African National Congress approached Mandela once asking
him to join but he refused, but then a black man was beaten to death by the police for not
having his passport on him, Mandela went to court with medical proofs to show a judge
these documents, but the judge refused. After this case, Mandela started considering
joining the ANC. And in 1942 he starts attending their meetings informally.
In 1944 he co-founds the ANC youth league (ANCYL) which he later becomes the president
of. he married a woman named Evelyn and they have four children. Till the time that the
police killed 65 people in a protest, Mandela believed that the movement was non-violent.
In the same year, Mandela held a famous speech in the suburb of Johannesburg under the
slogan of “No easy way to freedom” in the speech Mandela said that the ANC had to come
up with new plans for political struggles.
 In 1960 the ANC was outlawed so Then he co-founded the MK or the military wing of the
ANC. In 1962 the journey of prisons began for Mandela he was jailed for five years, and the
reason was traveling without an ID. In 1964 he was sentenced to life and the reason was
treason for a speech that he gave criticizing the Apartheid government. The other ANC
prisoners and Mandela, in the start of his sentence earned D classification, which is for
prisoners who were dangerous.
Their cells had hay carpets thin blankets and were given buckets for toilets. Prisoners were
restricted from reading newspapers or magazines, they spent most of their times in mines
which damaged the sight of M.R Mandela because he couldn’t wear any glasses to protect
his eyes. Being the leader of the group, Mandela received one of the harshest treatments.
Mandela was only allowed to have one visitor every six months, and all the letters he
received would be screened by the guards who would remove the parts that were
considered unsafe. Mandela spent his prison life between 3 prisons. Robben island prison as
the first then Pollsmoor prison then Victor Vester prison. Each prison had different condition
for Mandela. And his transfers had different reasons as well for example he was transferred
from the first prison to the second prison (Maximum security prison) because of fear that he
was influencing other prisoners at Robben Island prison.
During his imprisonment Mandela rejected several conditional releases which would have
imposed limitations on his political activities. His imprisonment improved his political status
which resulted in worldwide campaign to release him. Then he was offered conditional
freedom if he settles in Transkei (black homeland). Then in 1990 Mandela was released
unconditionally. In 1994 Mandela became president, he stepped down and retired in 1999
and died in 2013. His death brought a shock to the world because every body thought that
he was already dead and that is how people came up with the Mandela effect.
https://time.com/5338569/nelson-mandela-terror-list/
https://www.netflix.com/title/7027

https://globalnews.ca/news/5201623/nelson-mandela-apartheid-terrorist-south-africa/
https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+the+sanctions+happened+on+south+africa&
spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiv9sbp8vvwAhURmIsKHXywDNcQBSgAegQIARA5&biw=1536&
bih=7
https://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography
https://www.history.com/topics/africa/nelson-mandela
https://go-gale-com.bib173.bibbaser.dk/ps/start.do?p=BIC&u=lyngbyhttps://go-gale-
com.bib173.bibbaser.dk/ps/start.do?p=SUIC&u=lyngby
Chapter3: What were Mandela’s methods and other causing for ending apartheid?
In a country as prosperous, wealthy, and developed as South Africa it is difficult to
comprehend the depths of poverty and inequality that have plagued South Africans since
the European settlers arrived. Global understanding of these conditions has increased after
the 1960s thanks to the work of African international activist Nelson Mandela, who became
president in 1994. His success in ending apartheid through peaceful means had vast
implications for other countries struggling with similar issues—especially those on the
African continent. With his conviction and perseverance, we can only hope for a future
where all people will be equal no matter their race or ethnicity.
Mandela and members of the ANC fought against apartheid through nonviolent protests,
instead of taking a violent turn Mandela and the ANC organized marches and worker strikes.
Worker strikes were hurtful to the government since they dependent on black people for
mining. People considered Mandela a hero and he had a lot of influence on the public, you
will never hear about a revolution without a leader and even though this was not exactly a
revolution, but it was still resistance. Nelson Mandela never stopped fighting even when he
was in prison, him and the ANC members organized hunger strikes and work slowdowns.
While he was protesting in prison the public also protested for the release of him and
ending the apartheid system. The many protests led the government to order a state of
emergency which permitted police to use even more violence against black protesters.
The protests demanding the release of Nelson Mandela and the many people getting killed
by the police brought world attention to south Africa. In 1986 The international awareness
on what is happening in South Africa resulted in boycotts, sanctions and pressure on the
south African government to end apartheid. Which resulted in suffering by blacks and
whites due to the sanctions resulting in an economic downturn in South Africa. Even though
the world, the US and the UK imposed sanctions on the South African government but in
1988 the ANC and Nelson Mandela were banned and labeled as terrorist in several different
countries for violence and bombing they committed during the 1980s. The UK prime
minister at that time Margert Thatcher described the ANC as “Typical terrorist
organization”. In 1990 Mandela walked from jail as a free man and the negotiations led by
the south African president at that time Fredrik de Klark started and led to the first multi-
racial democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 which was won by the ANC leader M.R
Nelson Mandela.
https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA
_%D8%A5%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B1
%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AF_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8
_%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7
https://www.sasapost.com/sanctions-against-aparthied-south-africa/
https://dkhlak.com/nelson-mandela/
https://www.netflix.com/title/7027
https://www.nonviolence.wri-irg.org/en/resources/2008/actions-and-solidarity-campaign-
south-africa?language=ar
https://ar.esc.wiki/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_South_Africa_during_apartheid
https://www.history.com/news/end-apartheid-steps

Conclusion
My essay argues that the importance of Nelson Mandela is great for the end of apartheid,
though he is not as important as the media make it sound. When he got jailed, he was not
the only one 150 ANC members were with him, it is just that people and history do not
remember the soldiers of the war they only remember the leaders. My essay doesn’t argue
that he wasn’t important no he is important, and he is till now a symbol for freedom and an
example for all of the freedom fighters worldwide.

Mini EE short Reflections:

Writing a 2000 words essay was to be honest a bit harder and a lot more time consuming
than I thought I think that I made a very big mistake choosing south Africa and apartheid
because there was a lot of questions that surprisingly the internet couldn’t answer I thought
about writing about the easiest topic for me Palestine but then I thought that since the
essay is going to be a lot bigger next year then I will write about Palestine next year. though
It was a very interesting topic to learn about so I think I enjoyed it after all. And it was really
interesting for me to see that that history only repeats because in many articles if they
didn’t mention people’s colors or the location I would have immediately thought that it is an
article on what is happening in Palestine not 50 years ago in south hfAfrica.
2021-06-11 09:23:09
--------------------------------------------
the essay is well-written and you it is very
informed about the background. I could have
wished there was more discussion which
you on in the last body paragraph, and less
factual information. So approximately half of
the essay was background knowledge and
the other half arguments for and against
1992 Words Nelson Mandela's methods and how
effective they were. Nevertheless, you have
done a good job reading up on the history of
South Africa and I am confident you have
learnt a lot about how to structure and
formate a big essay like this.
Sources:

Book sources 1: focus on Nelson Mandela and the New South Africa by Edward Hanna
Broadridge
Book source 2: Long walk to freedom by Nelson Mandela
LINKS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7yvnUz2PLE
https://www.history.com/topics/africa/apartheid#:~:text=After%20the%20National%20Party%20gai
ned,and%20use%20separate%20public%20facilities.
https://time.com/5338569/nelson-mandela-terror-list/
https://www.netflix.com/title/7027

https://globalnews.ca/news/5201623/nelson-mandela-apartheid-terrorist-south-africa/
https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+the+sanctions+happened+on+south+africa&
spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiv9sbp8vvwAhURmIsKHXywDNcQBSgAegQIARA5&biw=1536&
bih=7
https://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/nelson-mandela
https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA
_%D8%A5%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B1
%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AF_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8
_%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7

https://www.sasapost.com/sanctions-against-aparthied-south-africa/
https://dkhlak.com/nelson-mandela/
https://www.netflix.com/title/7027
https://www.nonviolence.wri-irg.org/en/resources/2008/actions-and-solidarity-campaign-
south-africa?language=ar
https://ar.esc.wiki/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_South_Africa_during_apartheid
https://www.history.com/news/end-apartheid-steps
https://go-gale-com.bib173.bibbaser.dk/ps/start.do?p=SUIC&u=lyngby
https://go-gale-com.bib173.bibbaser.dk/ps/start.do?p=BIC&u=lyngby