How Nelson Mandela Aided The Downfall Of Apartheid

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How did Nelson Mandela aid the downfall of Apartheid? Nelson Mandela was significant in bringing about the collapse of apartheid system in South Africa along with other key individuals. However for these individuals to shine, they needed a clear motive and reason. This came in 1960 when black resistance was growing, and there were tensions between black groups. A new group was formed in 1959 out of the African National Congress, called the Pan Africanist Congress who believed that the ANC was too cautious, too multi-racial and too influenced by Communists. In 1960 the two groups planned massive, peaceful anti-pass law demonstrations in the towns of Sharpeville and Langa. This peaceful protest turned out to be a horrific massacre of innocent civilians; this tragedy caught the eye of suspicious western governments, bringing support for the end of apartheid, regardless of the South African government’s refusal to change. The consequences of this were to lead eventually to the end of apartheid, helped along by characters such as Mandela and De Klerk. As white businessmen asked themselves whether the country had a peaceful future there was a serious financial crisis. Therefore the government decided on total repression, and it declared a state of emergency, called out its reserve army, arrested thousands of leading demonstrators and outlawed the ANC and PAC, which succeeded in bringing back the confidence of white businessmen. This was to end the peaceful protests of the past, and to spark a wave of violent sabotage. Mandela grew as a figure after the events of Sharpeville and Langa when he persuaded the ANC supporters to turn to violence as that was the general motion of the country (blacks), and he made a pragmatic decision and went underground to form the MK, a campaign of sabotage, which mainly targeted power stations and government offices. This was a major change
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