Nelson Mandela Dbq Essay

Nelson Mandela once said "Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people." Mandela was one of the great leaders in South Africa during the apartheid, which became law in 1948 and ended in 1994. An apartheid is the policy of institutionalized racial segregation and both political and economical discrimination against people of color. In 1948, the South African National Party was elected and introduced the apartheid as law. The apartheid became unsustainable during the 1980s because of internal unrest, strong leaders, and external pressure. Internal unrest helped to end the apartheid because it made South Africa ungovernable. In 1976, school children rebelled against the new education laws, leaving 360 students shot.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for being apart of the African National Congress and speaking out against the government. After he was released, he was elected the first Black President of South Africa. He negotiated with the white government, saying "the ANC will not suspend, to say nothing of abandoning, the armed struggle until the government shows its willingness to surrender the monopoly of political power" (Document E). Mandela spoke for the black population of South Africa, asking the government to share political power with acknowledged black leaders in the nation. He was an admirable figure in the movement to end the apartheid, and the cry "Free Mandela" was heard throughout South Africa. Steve Biko was another important leader in the fight against the apartheid. The anti-apartheid activist founded the Black Consciousness Movement, and believed the black population within South Africa needed to work together to overthrow the apartheid on their own. Biko kept the movement alive while Mandela was in prison, and befriended a white reporter named Donald Woods. Biko was beaten to death in police custody, and because of this friendship, the story of his death was reported around the world. This alerted the population of the true intentions of the white government during the apartheid, and helped to raise awareness in ending the

Countries started placing economic sanctions on South Africa, which directly impacted the economy by stopping trade. The Commonwealth of Nations banned government loans to South Africa along with adopting the United States' sanctions, and threatened to increase them if no progress in ending the apartheid was made within six months (Document H). Economic sanctions destroyed the economy in South Africa, placing a debt crisis upon the country. The stoppage of trade sparked a huge outrage in the whites of South Africa, leading to the end of the apartheid. Music also had an impact in the end of the apartheid by promoting unity and inspiring sympathy in foreign countries. The South African National Anthem promotes unity because instead of having one person sing and the crowd listen, everyone at the event sings and knows the words. The lyrics use forms of the word “we”, uniting the people as one. The last verse, which is sung in English, says “Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand,” which promotes unity among the people, meaning for them to come together and love and protect their country. In the song “Biko” Peter Gabriel sings “When I try to sleep at night I can only dream in red, the world outside is black and white with only one color dead.” These lines are intended to inspire sympathy for the South African blacks and raise awareness about the changes that needed to