Nationalism at its Best

Have you ever heard South Africa's national anthem? If not, you should listen to it now! Believe it or not, this anthem was originally two different songs that were eventually combined into one official anthem (F). During all of South Africa's hardships, the unofficial anthem was a beacon of hope and was often heard at many anti-apartheid rallies (F).

The Noble Peace Prize Man

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela played a major role in South Africa's battle for independence. He was an ANC (Africa National Congress) leader ever since the 1950's, when he first joined (B). During the years that South Africa was under apartheid policies, many members of anti-apartheid organizations, like the ANC or the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) were severely punished. Mandela was captured at thrown into prison, but was finally released in 1990, when F.W. de Klerk ended apartheid and allowed these organizations to run again (B). When the people of South Africa voted for their country's first ever democratic government in April 1994, Mandela was inaugurated the following month (B). With his country's support, he was the first legitimate president of South Africa! He worked hard to make South Africa a peaceful environment where people of different ethnic backgrounds could live in harmony. In 1993, Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were awarded with a Noble Peace Prize for their constant efforts to end the apartheid policies and for providing South Africa with hope for future generations (E).

Independence

South Africa fought a tough battle to gain their independence and eventually won it in 1994. The apartheid policies were the biggest obstacle that prevented the South Africans from gaining their independence. D.F. Malan first introduced apartheid to protect the white citizens and to gain control of the blacks. An apartheid is a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race (www.dictionary.com). On May 31, 1961, South Africa was extremely unhappy with their situation and they voted for their independence. However, Hendrik Verwoerd (Malan’s successor) didn’t like the sound of their plan for independence, so he only reinforced the apartheid policy more! This reinforcement lead the Africa National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) to get involved because things were extremely unfair and were getting out of hand (many Africans were killed and tortured) (B). Eventually, these organizations were made illegal because the British government didn’t want them to gain support and become a mega source of power that could possibly threaten the British’s ruling status. They tried to subdue the fire, but they only made it burn brighter because the U.S.A. and U.K. get involved!  The South African government only got more upset because of the U.S.A.’s and U.K.’s involvement and as a result, they intensified their military actions (B). South Africa endured many years under apartheid policies. Fortunately F.W. de Klerk ended apartheid on February. 2, 1990 (B). He also allowed organizations like (AMC) and (PAC) to officially run again. Nelson Mandela, an ANC leader, was released from prison and was elected to be the first legitimate president on May 10, 1994 (B). The people of South Africa took the first step to this mission on April 1994, when they voted for their country’s first ever-democratic government. Today, Africa is a strong democracy where people of both white and black ethnicity live together in a culturally and ethnically diverse country.

The Colonial Experience

By the 20^th century, colonial rule changed South Africa because the Europeans changed many aspects of life, as the South Africans knew it. In 1910, the British parliament allowed the Union to form (which allowed South Africa to be a self-governing place) (B). But, South Africa wasn’t truly self-governing because black men had to be nominated by white men, in order to be a representative of parliament (B). So, in an essence, the British heavily influenced the South Africans. The British rule created separate kingdoms that lead to a single political economy, they established new states, and implemented new methods of enforcement, such as policemen, soldiers, and tax collectors (D). However, not all of the changes that were caused by the Europeans were bad, some were beneficial to the community. The change in the transportation system benefited the community because along with the new railroads came new sources of labor (C). This change in labor market was not only limited to railroads, but was seen when the number of workers and peasants suddenly increased. But, along with these new job opportunities, some old jobs were lost. The production of nonagricultural items decreased because they had to compete with the cheap, mass-produced goods that were the results of the industrialization that was going on, so many farmers lost their jobs to machines (D). Another change seen in the community was the shift in authority. The Colonial authorities tried to destroy the African kings’ powers, since they had complete control over their own kingdoms before when they were under Dutch rule, but that didn’t happen (D). What really happened was that the kings/chiefs still controlled their sections (they were no longer kingdoms, according to the British), but their power was made less effective because they became appointees of the colonial authorities. 

The Conquests of South Africa

In 1651, the Dutch arrived and conquered South Africa (B). The Dutch ruled over South Africa for many years, without any disturbance. But, when the British arrived in 1820, they wanted to control some of the kingdoms, like Xhosa, that were under Dutch rule at the time (B). South Africa’s government, which was under Dutch control was having a hard time creating labor forces for mines, so the British took advantage of their disadvantage and plotted to overthrow the republic. In  December 1895 the British tried to overthrow the republic in The Jamenson Raid, but was unsuccessful (D). In 1899, a war broke out for the control over the land. This famous war between the Dutch and British is known as the Anglo-Boer War and lasted for thirty-two months, before the war ended in Britain’s favor (A). In the end, the British were more powerful and endured the long months that the Dutch could not (due to their limited resources).