South Africa can be said to be the last African state to gain its full independence from the yolks of colonialists after a long period of time. The celebration of the disengagement of South Africa is closely viewed through the spectrum of apartheid, which was amplified by racial discrimination. Apartheid laws were introduced in 1948 by the Boers and Afrikaans (descendants of the Dutch) who had invaded the country many years ago. Apartheid was a style of rulership that saw the whites receive differential treatment in all spheres. The Population Discrimination Act facilitated the discrimination (Aldrich 67).
Factors that led the End of Apartheid
However, after the blacks were racially segregated by the whites, apartheid came to an end in 1948. Various factors contributed to this scenario. Firstly, there was internal radical opposition by the blacks in South Africa. Areas inhabited by the blacks had started becoming ungovernable. Secondly, the labour unrest and strikes made it difficult for investors in South Africa. With the threatened foreign investment in the country, the government, then led by de Klerk, started loosening up. There was also the growing campaign from international political, cultural and economic sanctions from the international community. International organizations such as Commonwealth, OAU and UN gatherings had pursued the end of apartheid in South Africa. The Catholic Church, led by then John Paul II led the fight against racial segregation in the country. The African National Congress (ANC) led by the then Nelson Mandela was in the forefront in the fight against discrimination and self-governance (Aldrich 98).
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"The History Of South Africa And Algeria".
In 1994, through various negotiations by FW De Clerk and ANC, a free and fair elections were held where ANC won by majority votes. South Africa then became independent and apartheid was put to an end.
Algeria in the 1800s
Algeria was known as Numidia in ancient times. The country is currently located within the boundaries that were drawn by the French colonialists that invaded Algeria in 1830. The northern parts of Algeria were organized into French departments. These departments formed the localities through which the French governed the Algerians. Since a better portion of the population in Algeria was of Muslim inclinations, the ones that lived in the rural areas remained detached from the French economic settings.
A radicalized Ottoman leader, by the name Hussein Dey started amassing resistance against the French in Algiers. Due to this, the French invaded the southern parts of Algeria. In 1830, Hussein Dey went into exile. By this time, colonization tendencies permeated southwards and it started having impact on the people. Reorganization of the cultural structures and believes started being restructuring. Abder Kadir put up radical rebellion around Algiers. The rebellion took 10 years for the French troops to defeat (Eades 34).
By 1948, the French base had increased and now fully established in Algeria. The northern hemisphere was divided into three civil territories, Algiers, Oran and Constantine. The region was now under the French administrative government. Many residents lost their land to foreigners, their cultural and education systems were rendered irrelevant. This continued up to around the 1st World War when there was rise against the French.
- Aldrich, Robert. Vestiges of the colonial empire in France monuments, museums, and colonial memories. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.
- Eades, Lindsay Michie. The end of apartheid in South Africa. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print.
