Ways of the World Chapter 23: South Africa

I found the apartheid to be very interesting and how ending the apartheid and gaining freedom was a challenge for the South African natives, because South Africa had in fact been independent of Great Britain since 1910, however the Independence was granted to a small group of white settlers that made up less than twenty percent of the entire population. Therefore the struggle for freedom was against an internal opponent rather than a distant colonial authority. The dependence of the black population on the white controlled economy made individuals seem highly vulnerable to repressive action, however the threat to withdraw the work of the black community gave the people a powerful weapon. Actions that were taken to end the apartheid were nonviolent civil disobediences such as boycotts, strikes, and the burning of the hated passes. In retaliation the white leaders had the black leaders put in jail and participated in violent shootings thought to be necessary in sending a message to the revolutionaries. However the people remained persistent in the fights for their natural born rights, and with the help of international countries, the apartheid was officially ended in the 1990’s, and the African National Congress came into power and Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black South African president.