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Political and social change brought by Nelson Mandela in South Africa
The end of white minority rule, racial segregation and involvement of Africans in all government institutions are some of the major aspects of change that took place in South Africa towards the end of apartheid in 1994. Although there are several people who contributed to the changes, Nelson Mandela’s contributions are outstanding. His political career started in 1944 when he and five other Africans formed the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League (Barber, 2004). He assumed its presidency in 1952. He was also elected the National Volunteer-In-Chief of The Defiance Campaign for ANC. In fact, this campaign called for mass civil disobedience to fight apartheid laws. The mass disobedience movement had many contributions to the social change in South Africa (Barber, 2004). For instance, the white regime realised that their reign was also threatened by revolts and revolutions. Therefore, they sought to tighten the national security system and increase crackdowns on African movements.
In 1952, ANC and all its affiliates were banned. However, Mandela and his colleagues continued to operate from underground, mobilising Africans to rise up against apartheid under the armed wing, “Umkhonto we Sizwe” (MK). Mandela was MK’s commander in chief. This action further contributed to the rising rate of social disobedience, with hundreds of African youths intruding in white-only regions, roads and paths in cities and towns. Many were arrested and charged, but the struggle continued.
He illegally left South African to attend an African revolution summit in Algeria, where he presented a number of social problems facing South Africa. From here, the world increasingly became aware of the evils of discrimination in South Africa. After the discovery of the underground MK movement, Mandela and seven others were accused of sabotage and jailed for life. He refused to renounce the armed struggle, which continued even after the imprisonment (Barber, 2004). These actions drew other world nations to the South African disputes, with the white government facing economic and political sanctions. After the end of Apartheid, black people were allowed to mix with the whites in all social places, including the abolition of all-white schools, hospitals, public transport systems and other facilities. Black people were allowed to establish their political parties, labour unions and other social institutions (Barber, 2004).
Social contribution of Martin Luther King Jr in the US
Like Mandela in South Africa, Luther King was a vocal activist against racial discrimination in the United States. He was particularly against the American social system that had a low social recognition to the black people. King mobilised fellow African-Americans to fight for their rights in non-violence means, including strikes and deviance of the transport system (Ansbro, 2002). It is worth noting that unlike Mandela, King did not involve armed struggle, but rather sought to ensure that all protests were non-violent, although the involvement of the police often led to violence.
For instance, his famous “walk to work” campaigns contributed towards the realization that Black and coloured people were not satisfied with the system that continued to deny them equal chances to education, employment and business opportunities (Ansbro, 2002). His murder led to the realization that America could not obtain its dream without legislations that sought to protect equal human rights and criminalize racial discrimination. It is worth noting that King also contributed to protection of workers in the United States, especially the middle and low-paid employees (Ansbro, 2002). Labour unions became an important tool through which workers advocated for better working conditions.
References
Ansbro, J. J. (2002). Martin Luther King, Jr.: Nonviolent Strategies and Tactics for Social Change. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Barber, J. P. (2004). Mandela’s world: The international dimension of South Africa’s political revolution 1990-99. New York, NY: James Currey.
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