Democracy and the End of Apartheid in South Africa

By 1990 the government of South Africa, under President F. W. de Klerk, leader of the National Party, resolved to try to end both internal and external tensions by discussing sweeping democratic reforms. It released the leader of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, from prison, and launched a process of negotiation. The goal soon became the ending of the longstanding system of apartheid, that had denied the vote to the black majority of the country and had enforced segregated spaces, jobs and facilities, amid often brutal police repression; and installing in its place a democratic system. Amid some division and reluctance, the National Party which particularly represented the Boers, or South Africans of Dutch descent, went along with the process, as did the African National Congress which for decades had struggled against apartheid.

The negotiations and resultant transition proceeded rapidly. At the same time, these were important issues and tensions during the process. Democratic elections were ultimately conducted which selected Mandela as the first president of the new South Africa, and he took office in 1994.

The documents that I would like you to read (President F.W. de Klerk, Address to the South African Parliament, Feburary 2, 1990; Nelson Mandela's Address on his Release from Prison, February 11, 1990; F.W. de Klerk at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, December, 1991; and the Response by Nelson Mandela) from de Klerk and Mandela as they begin negotiation and from both men again, a year later, as they wrestled with some unresolved tensions, deal with several aspects of this historic change. They suggest the principles on which agreement was ultimately reached, and that would underlie the country’s new constitution. They suggest the kinds of disagreements that were almost inevitable after a long period of struggle, which finally of course were resolved. And they suggest some of the key causes that propelled the process of change, including the qualities of key individuals.

Fundamental reform in South Africa occurred as part of a strong global movement toward greater democracy. The movement began with democratic reform in southern Europe and parts of Latin America, in the late 1970s; it extended to the ending of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. The South African process allows some consideration of this larger global development. Incidentally, South Africa is having MAJOR elections tomorrow, in what most are calling the biggest election since 1994. To add an additional dynamic, this is the first election in South Africa where we see a new generation of voters participating that do not remember apartheid. The BBC is doing an excellent job covering this, and you can read the latest stories by clicking here.

After reading the documents, I would like you to consider and discuss the following: What do the documents suggest about the causes of the ending of apartheid and democratization of South Africa? What were the main problems and issues in the negotiations that led to South African democracy? How did specific issues encountered in 1991 relate to more fundamental problems? What were the principles on which agreement was finally reached? What aspects of race relations in South Africa were most successfully handled during the negotiations? What aspects were either unresolved or incompletely resolved? To what extent was democratization a global movement in the late 20th century? What caused the global dimensions to the phenomenon? Why was democratization more successful in South Africa than in some other parts of the world in this period? How has democracy fared in South Africa in the years since the basic change? What is the state of democracy in other parts of Africa? Your thoughts…