325
See also: The Slave Trade Abolition Act 226–27 ■ The Berlin Conference 258–59 ■
Nkrumah wins Ghanaian independence 306–07 ■ The March on Washington 311N
elson Mandela received a
life prison sentence in 1964
for his role in anti-apartheid
protests held in Sharpeville, South
Africa. Mandela was a militant
member of the African National
Congress (ANC), set up to campaign
against apartheid, a system of racial
segregation enforced by the white
ruling government. While in prison,
Mandela had become a symbol of
the struggle for racial equality. On
his release in 1990, he was greeted
with euphoria.When the Nationalist Party was
elected to power in 1948, white
Afrikaners implemented a brutal
apartheid policy—black people
were segregated and could not
vote. Many in the anti-apartheid
movement advocated non-violent
protest, which helped rally white
South Africans to their cause.
Apartheid was globally condemned,
and tough international sanctions
were imposed.A new dawn
In 1990, President F. W. De Klerk
astounded the world by lifting bans
on the ANC. Seeing the need for
fundamental change, he had been
in secret negotiations for two years
to end the apartheid system.
Multiracial elections were
held in 1994, and Mandela won
by a huge margin. His release
was one of the defining moments
of the late 20th century, ending
300 years of white rule in South
Africa. It transformed the country
into a multiracial democracy
without the bloody civil war that
so many had feared. ■THE MODERN WORLD
NEVER NEVER
AND NEVER
AGAIN
THE RELEASE OF NELSON MANDELA ( 1990 )
IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
End of apartheidBEFORE
1948 The National Party (NP)
takes power, adopting a policy
of apartheid (separateness).1960 Seventy black protesters
are killed at Sharpeville; the
African National Congress
(ANC) is banned.1961 South Africa is declared
a republic and leaves the
Commonwealth. Mandela
heads the ANC’s military wing.AFTER
1991 F. W. De Klerk repeals
apartheid laws; international
sanctions are lifted.1994 With the first democratic
elections, South Africa joins
the UN General Assembly.1996 The Truth and
Reconciliation Commission
begins hearings on human
rights crimes committed in
the apartheid era.Friends, comrades, and
fellow South Africans, I greet
you all in the name of peace,
democracy, and freedom for all.
Nelson MandelaUS_324-325_France68-Mandela.indd 325 15/02/2016 16:45