How the conflict played out
Foundations of the civil rights movement were defined by the fight and struggle of the African Americans for equal and full rights as full citizens (like the white Americans) of the United States of America in the 1950's. Africans were subjectively discriminated and denied fundamental rights such as education, health, democratic voting, and even recreational facilities such as restaurants. This inequality and discrimination founded on racial differences compelled the victims of the vice to initiate various mechanisms in a bid to quash it out of their land. They involved themselves in demonstrations and negotiations to counter the problems. The movement was led by such human rights activists as Martin Luther King Jr. who rallied the black people to non- violent protests, strikes, marches and civil disregard as a means to oppose the unjust racial laws. Despite the intensity of the violence with which the police met the protesters, the movement persisted in its quest. The civil rights movement in the US spread across the victim states of the US such as Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina and in 1957, Luther together with B. Rustin and rev. R. David Albernathy collaboratively formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference whose main commitment was the struggle for civil rights without the use of violence. ("1960S: The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements | South African History Online")
Apartheid system of administration was a racial divisional establishment in which Africans faced tribulations on their homeland similar to those of African Americans in the US. The apartheid in South Africa started in 1930's and was governed by numerous racial legislations which established a great rift between the blacks and the whites. Being a struggle for the liberation of the South Africans, the anti-Apartheid camp was greatly inspired by the civil rights movement. The motivation for the anti- apartheid movement by the civil rights movements can be accredited to activists like Martin Luther King who advocated for human freedom in all parts of the world and discouraged the disregard for human rights. According to Luther in the 1960's, the South African government was equivalent to the "modern day barbarians" and he joined hands with other rights activists to alter the US government's back up for the SA government. (Futse)
The civil rights movement in America led to the enactment of various laws which illegalized racial discrimination in many areas of life. For example, the Civil Rights act was passed in 1968 to prevent racial discrimination in such areas as financing, sale, and rental of houses. Despite such legal provisions, the African Americans continued to be discriminated. The violence that was used to quell the movements led to the death of many demonstrators during the struggle.
Major players in the anti-apartheid camp
The anti-apartheid regime in South Africa lasted from 1912 to 1992 when South Africa gained full independence. Steered by the African National Congress, the movement sought to save an approximate 80% of the black population from oppression and racial segregation. ANC evolved to a more vibrant a nonviolent resistance to the state and economic monopoly that had been created by the Afrikaners. ANC was backed up by the Pan Africanist Congress which was formed in 1959 which advocated for more direct action and violent resistance to apartheid. (Reinbold)
The movement was joined and supported by churches, trade unions and groups such as the Natal Indian Congress, The United Democratic Front, and the South African Students Association to wage an active resistance against the racial segregation and inequality. The resistance initially took peaceful strategies such as mass actions, strikes, and boycotts but evolved to violent resistance. Steve Biko, who would later succumb to police brutality, led the Black Consciousness movement in the 1980's which cooperated with other anti-apartheid supporters such as ANC, UDF, Congress Of South African Trade Unions in the struggle for the involvement of all races in a unitary democracy. (Reinbold)
Great women such as Ray Simon, who founded the Federation of South African Workers in 1954, Winnie Mandela, Ruth first, Amina Chachalia, Albertine Sisulu, Lillian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph, also played key roles in the resistance against apartheid. ("Anti-Apartheid Movement") The National Party Government between 1940's and 1950's stiffened the legislations of apartheid like the Population Registration Act and Group Areas Act which would serve best to uphold and foster apartheid. ANC in 1952 started the defiance campaign that was meant to oppose the excess taxation and oppressive apartheid laws. The ANC used the mechanism of infringing the apartheid law provisions with an aim of crippling the apartheid system. The Congress alliance was founded by a collaboration of South African Colored People's Congress, ANC, South African Congress of Democrats, and, and the South African Indian Congress. This Congress Alliance was a unifying force for the anti- apartheid movement and was responsible for the establishment of the Congress of the People which was a consultative forum for the South African people to air their opinions on the kind of rule and governance they desired for their country. The increased rebellions by ANC and PAC led to the banning of both parties in 1962 and imprisonment of their leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki,Elias Motsoaledi, and Ahmed Mlangeni. ("Anti-Apartheid Movement")
When Nelson Mandela was agitated by the failure of non-violent anti-apartheid initiatives, he among other liberalists decided to adopt an armed struggle against the oppressive apartheid called "spear of the Nation" or Umkhonto We Sizwe. This strategy was, however, unsuccessful in the dilution of apartheid and it called for the involvement of the international community in the fight against apartheid. South Africa was slapped with multiple bans and sanctions and this compelled the white South African government to go into negotiations. These external pressures were mounted on South African government by activists such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Randall Robinson and Harry Belafonte who all encouraged the US government to cut her support and investment in a leadership founded on racial segregation.
The peak of the anti- apartheid movement was hit in 1990 when ANC leader Nelson Mandela was released from prison and he took a frontline in the struggle against apartheid. Oliver Tambo had, on the other hand, solicited for sufficient international support and raised funds for an armed struggle during his 24 years in exile. (1967-1991). His exile mission was successful in the establishment of 27 international diplomatic missions for South Africa. His return to South Africa in 1990 met the release of Nelson Mandela and the first democratic elections in the country were conducted in 1994. ("Anti-Apartheid Movement")
Works cited
"1960S: The Civil Rights And Black Power Movements | South African History Online". Sahistory.org.za. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 June 2016.
Futse, Rosemary. "Fighting For Equality: Comparing The Anti-Apartheid Movement And The Civil Rights | Washington State University". History105.libraries.wsu.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 3 June 2016.
Reinbold, David. "The Anti-Apartheid Struggle In South Africa (1912-1992) | ICNC". ICNC. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 June 2016.
"Anti-Apartheid Movement". Study.sagepub.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 June 2016.
