Difference between revisions of "Nelson Mandela"

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(Mandela was convicted of terrorism)
(Undo revision 1765699 by RobSmith (talk) He is a terrorist, heck, his wife Winnie was infamous for necklacing people, and he himself has participated in very violent riots.)
 
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[[Image:Mandela2.jpg|right|thumb]]
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{{Infobox officeholder
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|name=Nelson Mandela
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|image=Mandela2.jpg
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|birth_date=July 19, 1918
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|birth_place=Mvezo, South Africa
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|death_date=December 5, 2013 (aged 95)
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|death_place=Johannesburg, South Africa
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|religion=[[Methodism]]
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|spouse=Evelyn Ntoko Mase (1944–1957)<br/>Winnie Madikizela (1958–1996)<br/>Graça Machel (1998-)
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|children=
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|alma_mater=
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|party=[[African National Congress]]
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|office=President of South Africa
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|term_start=May 10, 1994
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|term_end=June 10, 1999
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|preceded=F. W. de Klerk
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|succeeded=[[Thabo Mbeki]]
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}}
  
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'''Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela''' (b. July 18, 1918 in the Transkei) is a [[South Africa]]n leader, and convicted terrorist, who fought hard against [[apartheid]] until he was imprisoned in 1964. He was released in 1990 and went on to become South Africa's president elected by a multi-racial electorate in 1994.
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'''Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela''' (July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013) was a [[South Africa]]n anti-apartheid leader and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994-1999. For his life Mandela received  more than 250 honors, including the 1993 [[Nobel Peace Prize]], the US [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] (from [[George W. Bush]]), the [[Sakharov Prize]], the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Bharat Ratna.
  
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== Early Life and Political Socialization ==
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He belonged to the African National Congress, a political party from the center-left to the ultra-left Leninist, which he presided from 1991 to 1997, after its legalization in 1990. He was a member and was general secretary of the MPNA (Movement of Non-Aligned Countries) between 1998 and 2002. This was a coalition of countries that remained "neutral" in the Cold War. Nelson supported the Marxist Cuban revolution, [[Fidel Castro]], and the values of and actions taken by the regime.<ref>Speech by Nelson Mandela, July 26, 1991, in Cuba: http://db.nelsonmandela.org/speeches/pub_view.asp?pg=item&ItemID=NMS1526&txtstr=cuba</ref> He also supported [[Muammar al-Gaddafi]]<ref>https://youtu.be/G-afUmpGBmw</ref> and Ayatollah [[Ali Khamenei]].<ref>https://youtu.be/wCPlz9-SyPM</ref>
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Almost immediately, we see Mandela plunged into political life, as his father was the ‘right hand man’ to the Acting Paramount Chief of Thembuland (ANC archive). Although the reasons for his political socialization are evident and obvious, one ought to consider the ramifications of his environment; for instance, it can be argued that the class system in South Africa was in conflict with his ideals: “Ideologies and ideologists arise in class-divided societies…” (Ball and Dagger)  If this is true, then it is vital to speak of Mandela and apartheid as two sides of the same coin.
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Mandela’s primary education began in a local mission school, and his secondary education was completed in a Wesleyan institute in Healdtown.  Around this time, he began to see cases in the Chief’s courts, many involving apartheid issues, and this primed him to want to become a lawyer instead of taking his father’s place in Thembuland politics (ANC archive).
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==Early life==
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Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa,<ref name="AllAfrica"/> a chief of the Thembu people, a subdivision of the Xhosa nation.<ref name="NYT obituary">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/world/africa/nelson-mandela_obit.html?pagewanted=1&ref=international-home|work=The New York Times|author=Keller, Bill|date=December 5, 2013|accessdate=12-10-2013|title=Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s Liberator as Prisoner and President, Dies at 95|language=English}}</ref> When his father died at nine Nelson was taken in as a ward to Jongintaba Dalindyebo.<ref name="official biography">{{cite web|work=Nelson Mandela Foundation|title=Biography|language=English|accessdate=12-10-2013|url=http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography}}</ref>
  
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Mandela’s earliest political experience came while enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare, where he was working to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.  While at the college, he was elected to a student political organization known as the Student’s Representative Council.  Soon after, Mandela was expelled for participating in a protest on campus (ANC archive). Because of this, Mandela attended Johannesburg where he finally obtained his BA.  Soon after, he joined the [[African National Congress]] in 1942, during the height of [[World War II]].
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===Education===
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Nelson Mandela’s personal fixation with freedom brought him to work with many other members of the African National Congress to form a group under the leadership of a colleague, Anton Lembede (ANC archive).  The group’s main focus was to change the African National Congress into a mass movement, including all people from urban communities to those in the countryside\.
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Mandela was sent to a [[Methodist]]<ref name="independent biography">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nelson-mandela-life-story-a-long-walk-to-immortality--the-life-and-times-of-madiba-8406457.html|work=The Independent|language=English|country=UK|title=Nelson Mandela biography: A long walk to immortality - the life and times of Madiba|author=Sampson, Anthony}}</ref> mission school for his primary education,<ref name="AllAfrica">{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201312091064.html|work=AllAfrica|title=South Africa: Biography of Nelson Mandela|date=12-06-2013|accessdate=12-10-2013|language=English}}</ref> followed by time at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Healdtown.<ref name="official biography"/> He began studying for a [[bachelor's degree]] at University College of Fort Hare, the only residential college for [[blacks]] in South Africa,<ref name="NYT obituary"/> but, along with Oliver Tambo,<ref name="AllAfrica"/> was expelled for joining a student [[protest]].<ref name="official biography"/> Upon returning to his village, as retribution,<ref name="official biography"/> Mandela's family selected a bride for him and his cousin, Justice; the two fled the family - and the prospect of leadership in [[tribal]] government - for [[Johannesburg, South Africa]].<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="NYT obituary"/> There he worked in gold mines as a guard, but was fired when his superior discovered he was a runaway.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="NYT obituary"/> Mandela would complete his bachelor's degree at the University of South Africa in 1943 and return to Fort Hare for his graduation.<ref name="official biography"/>
  
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Mandela was instrumental in many political endeavors, many of which were anti-apartheid movements such as the Programme of Action, a policy based initiative which was founded on the principle of using  the non-violent weapons of “boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-co-operation” (ANC archive). This eventually became the modus operandi of the African National Congress.
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==Pre-imprisonment career==
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===Work experience, early political activism===
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In Johannesburg, Mandela was introduced to Walter Sisulu, a [[real estate]] businessman and a prominent member of the [[African National Congress]] (ANC) - a black liberation party opposed the extreme segregation called [[apartheid]];<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/apartheid|title=Apartheid|work=History|publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC|accessdate=December 18, 2013|language=English}}</ref> Sisulu arranged for Mandela to be articled to a white attorney, Lazar Sidelsky, while Mandela studied [[law]] part-time at University of the Witwatersrand - though he would leave the school in 1948.<ref name="official biography"/><ref name="independent biography"/> Mandela began to follow Anton Lembede; he, along with Mandela, Tambo and Sisulu organized the radical A.N.C. Youth League, alienating some white sympathizers with their strong black national rhetoric.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref name="independent biography"/> The Youth League was also critical of the "old guard" leadership of the ANC.<ref name="AllAfrica"/>
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{{QuoteBox2|quote=“I was angry at the white man, not at racism ... While I was not prepared to hurl the white man into the sea, I would have been perfectly happy if he climbed aboard his steamships and left the continent of his own volition.”|source=Nelson Mandela<ref name="NYT obituary"/>|align=left|width=300px}}
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At this time, Mandela fell strongly onto the side of Africanism is the liberation debate between Africanism and nonracialism
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in liberation theology, though his eventual embrace of nonracialism would define his later life and career.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> The ANC Youth League was also fiercely anti-[[communist]]; Mandela would break up Communist Party meetings - regarding Communism as foreign and non-Afircan and believing that blacks should liberate themselves.<ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref name="independent biography"/> This philosophy changed with the victory of the Afrikaner National Party in 1948 in the all-white elections; the National Party had run on a platform of [[apartheid]] and strong anti-communism.<ref name="independent biography"/> The elections sparked the radicalization of the ANC<ref name="telegraph biography">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10503342/Nelson-Mandela-A-life-rich-in-drama-tragedy-triumph-and-reconciliation.html|work=The Telegraph|title=Nelson Mandela: A life rich in drama, tragedy, triumph and reconciliation|language=English|author= Holman, Michael|date=December 7, 2013|accessdate=December 18, 2013}}</ref> - in 1949 the Youth League's tactics of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-co-operation were adopted as official ANC policy, and older members were purged from leadership positions.<ref name="AllAfrica"/> Mandela would assume leadership positions within the party - including President of the Youth League and National Volunteer-in-Chief of the ANC.<ref name="AllAfrica"/>
  
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And yet, some of our greatest leaders and role models have to resort to evil in order to do good. Mandela, being no exception to this, was the leader of an armed resistance group known as Umkhonto we Sizwe, formed in 1962. Mandela explains his reasoning:
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In 1952, the ANC launched its first passive resistance - the Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="independent biography"/> The Defiance Campaign was suppressed with legislation lead by the National Party; protests were met with arrests - including that of Mandela's in 1956 on charges of [[treason]] (one of 156 ANC leaders to be arrested that year).<ref name="independent biography"/> The court found that Mandela had consistently advised his adherers to not resort to violence, but he was found guilty of contravening the Suppression of Communism Act and given a suspended prison sentence.<ref name="AllAfrica"/> Mandela was also confined to Johannesburg for six months and prohibited from attending gatherings; during this time, Mandela, despite not completing his law degree, and Tambo set up the first black law partnership in South Africa;<ref name="NYT obituary"/> the firm helped black clients with their political and other legal difficulties.<ref name="independent biography"/>
  
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“At the beginning of June 1961, after long and anxious assessment of the South African situation, I and some colleagues came to the conclusion that as long violence in this country was inevitable, it would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force.” –Nelson Mandela (ANC archive)
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In 1953, Mandela created the M-plan (named after him) - a contingency plan in case the ANC - like the Communist Party - was declared illegal. The M-plan detailed how the party could run underground, communicating with members without resorting to public meetings.<ref name="AllAfrica"/> Throughout the fifties Mandela would be consistently banned, arrested and imprisoned.<ref name="AllAfrica"/> In 1960 - the more radical Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) broke away from the ANC; their tactics- though still peaceful - were more aggressive and were met with violence.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="independent biography"/> On March 21, 1961 police killed 69 peaceful protestors in what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre; after this massacre both parties were banned.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref name="independent biography"/>
  
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It was this notion, along with strong governmental apartheid sentiment that would eventually land Nelson R. Mandela in prison.
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He also had been a Communist, and even went as far as to give a speech on how to be a good communist.<ref name="web.archive.org">https://web.archive.org/web/20041204063644/http://home.wanadoo.nl/rhodesia/goodcom.html</ref> In addition, he also was a senior member of the South African Communist Party by his arrest in 1962.<ref>http://newobserveronline.com/mandela-lied-to-world-south-african-communist-party-admits-he-was-senior-central-committee-member/</ref> In 1990 at Johannesburg, he was also photographed with his then-wife Winnie (who was infamous for her method of execution known as necklacing, which involved putting a tire to a person's neck filled with gasoline and setting them on fire) as well as Stalinist member Joe Slovo during a South African Communist Party rally with the Soviet Star and Hammer and Sickle logos prominently displayed on a red background.<ref>https://timeonhands.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/soviet-support-for-nelson-mandela.jpg</ref>
  
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== Mandela in Prison ==
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===Militarist leader===
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The Sharpeville Massacre sparked a turning point for Mandela - he became convinced that the ANC needed to adopt a separate military wing, called Umkhonto we Sizwe, or Spear of the Nation; Mandela was made commander-in-chief.<ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref name="independent biography"/> There is also evidence that Mandela joined the South African Communist Party and a member the party's Central Committee (though he denied it through his life) - presumably for contacts.<ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/politics/2013/12/06/sacp-confirms-nelson-mandela-was-a-member|work=Business Day Live|title=http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/politics/2013/12/06/sacp-confirms-nelson-mandela-was-a-member|author= Marrian, Natasha|date=December 6, 2013|language=English}}</ref>
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The new, violent, methods of the ANC were to destroy power plants and communications systems; the goal was that these acts would limit overseas investment. Mandela was adamant that the group not kill, but by the end of its 20-year campaign 63 people had been killed and 483 injured; the group was declared a [[terrorist]] group by the white South African government and the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/8304153/Nelson-Mandelas-Spear-of-the-Nation-the-ANCs-armed-resistance.html|title=Nelson Mandela's Spear of the Nation: the ANC's armed resistance|author=Laing, Aislinn|work=The Telegraph|language=English|date=February 5, 2011|accessdate=December 18, 2013}}</ref> Mandela left the country soon after the Spear of the Nation began its tactics, hoping to generate worldwide support and economic sanctions so that Pretoria might abandon apartheid.<ref name="independent biography"/> In 1962, Mandela was arrested after 17 months in hiding, charged with incitement to strike and illegally leaving the country.<ref name="independent biography"/> Mandela was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="independent biography"/>
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{{QuoteBox2|quote=“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But my lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”|source=Nelson Mandela<ref name="NYT obituary"/>|align=right|width=300px}}
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While serving, the South African police raided a farm near Rivonia - finding future plans of sabotage; Mandela and his colleagues were charged with organising sabotage and violent revolution as well as furthering the aims of communism; at his trial, Mandela declared his ideal of democracy in a four-hour speech - concluding, "It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."<ref name="independent biography"/> Mandela acknowledged his crimes - that he was the commander of Spear of the Nation and that he had made alliances with Communists, but declared that he had turned to violence only when nonviolent means were foreclosed and likened his affiliation with Communists to Churchill's cooperation with Stalin against Hitler.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> Nelson also commented on his political evolution from black nationalist to multiracialist.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> In part due to overwhelming pressure from the international community - including a near-unanimous vote by the [[United Nations]] - the lives of the accused were spared; Mandela and his colleagues were sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> When President Botha offered to have him pardoned if he would renounce terrorism, he refused.<ref name="web.archive.org"/>
  
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In contrast to his peaceful methods, Nelson Mandela, like many political activists, eventually found himself imprisoned.  He was sent to the notorious Robben Island Prison where he would eventually serve twenty seven years (Battersby). He was one of the many victims of the Treason Trial.  After the trial, the African National Congress was banned, and the already convicted Mandela was sentenced to prison.
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==Imprisonment==
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Mandela became an elder statesman of the prison on Robben Island<ref name="telegraph biography"/> - where there were frequent clashes with prisoners and guards, he seemed above the fray; he was also singled out for cruelties. He was denied permission to attend the funerals of his mother and oldest son, and his wife endured persecution after being exiled from Johannesburg.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> Mandela and the prisoners initially turned down officers of release; he commented "Prisoners cannot enter into contracts - only free men can negotiate."<ref name="AllAfrica"/> Mandela credited his time in prison with the cessation of his desire for vengeance, speaking of sympathetic white guards and National Party members who would attempt a dialogue.<ref name="NYT obituary"/>
  
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Mandela was in prison for twenty seven years, during which he endured a radical transformation. Mandela, by self-admittance, had a temper problem prior to being incarcerated.  During prison, however, he had to learn to control his anger. “One was angry,” says Mandela, “at what was happening [in apartheid in South Africa]- the humiliation, the loss of our human dignity. We tended to react in accordance with anger and our emotion rather than sitting down and thinking about things properly” (Battersby).
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Pretoria began a more stringent crackdown on minority party activities - it detained 20,000 people without trial,<ref name="independent biography"/> but the pressure from the international community was too great. Mandela ultimately decided to negotiate with the white government without telling his fellow inmates and party-members, saying, “My comrades did not have the advantages that I had of brushing shoulders with the V.I.P.’s who came here, the judges, the minister of justice, the commissioner of prisons, and I had come to overcome my own prejudice towards them ... So I decided to present my colleagues with a fait accompli.”<ref name="NYT obituary"/>
  
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Nelson Mandela claimed it was the solitude in the prison cell that allowed one to think to oneself, allowing the nerves to become calm.  In addition, many of Mandela’s prison mates were well-educated, well-traveled individuals.  “When they told you of their experiences,” Mandela says, “you felt humbled” (Battersby). Mandela, while in prison, was also instrumental in the transformation of Robben Island from a ‘criminal’ prison to a ‘student’ prison.
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In December 1988, as negotiations gathered momentum, and Mandela's health deteriorated (he had prostate surgery while in prison), he was moved to the Victor Verster Prison - where he could be better cared for and live in more comfortable conditions.<ref name="AllAfrica"/><ref name="NYT obituary"/> In February 1990, President Frederik Willem de Klerk legalized the ANC and shortly after released Mandela; two weeks later Mandela became the Deputy President of the ANC.<ref name="independent biography"/>
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Mandela had chances to prove his political worth while in prison, as well.  During the seventies, Mandela was offered remission of his sentence if he recognized the apartheid racially segregated region of Transkei. He refused. Later, during the eighties, Mandela was given a second opportunity at remission, only this time he was asked to renounce the violence that some of his groups partook in.  He, again, refused (ANC archive).
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Indeed, during his prison time, Mandela proved to be a prime example of a strong believer in principle, while at the same time erupting as a shining light to others suffering alongside him.
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===Release and election===
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Negotiations between Mandela, the ANC and the ruling party continued until eventually free elections were agreed upon, in exchange for a share of power for opposition parties and a guarantee that whites would not be threatened with reprisals.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> In the ensuing elections of April 1994, the ANC won 62% of the vote - ensuring that Mandela would be the next President of South Africa.<ref name="NYT obituary"/><ref name="independent biography"/>
  
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Mandela could have been released in 1985, PW Botha offered him the chance to be released if he renounced public violence. Mandela refused to stop condoning violence.  
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==Presidency==
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Though elected leader, Mandela was frequently deferring to others in leadership. De Klerk and Thabo Mbeki - the latter selected by the ANC - were Mandela's deputy presidents, and privately he left most appointments and practical decisions to Mbeki, referring to himself as "head of state" rather than "head of government".<ref name="independent biography"/> When De Klerk left the coalition, Mbeki was allowed more power - sometimes presiding over the cabinet.
  
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==Mandela is Released==
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Mandela was not as effective in elected office as he was revolutionary leader. Prior to his election - he sought the financial support of 20 industrialists to build up the ANC. When he took office, he allowed the industrialists to have unprecedented access to the executive - and favored his big donors over unions.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> Mandela also made minimal progress towards the modest goals he had set on housing, education and jobs.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> He failed to grab the lead at the dawn of the ensuing crisis of [[AIDS]]; refusing to acknowledge the unpopular subject at a time when contraceptives were considered [[taboo]] in South Africa.<ref name="independent biography"/>
  
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Mandela, stepping out of his prison cell, faced a newly changed South Africa through the eyes of a newly changed man. Shortly after being released, Mandela and his colleagues agreed on the suspension of the armed struggle (Umkhonto we Sizwe). He was officially released from prison in 1990, and was eventually elected President of the African National Congress in 1991 (ANC archive).  Later, in 1994, he was democratically elected President of the State of [[South Africa]].
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Still, Mandela continued to act as a unifier among races - as in 1995 when he shook the hand of Francois Pienaar - the Springbok [[rugby]] captain - significant due to rugby's strong association with Afrikaners - whose leaders strongly supported apartheid.<ref name="telegraph biography"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Mandela - Francois Pienaar’s tribute: short, simple, apt|work=Daily Maverick|author=Muller, Antoinette|date=December 12, 2013|accessdate=December 18, 2013|url=http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-12-12-mandela-francois-pienaars-tribute-short-simple-apt/#.UrM_sJGilDI}}</ref>
  
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Before retiring from public life in June of 1999, he had received over fifty honorary degrees at prestigious universities all over the world, and was chancellor of the University of the North (ANC archive).
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==Post-Presidency==
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Elsewhere in the world, Mandela has made several attempts to make peace, even with nations outside his personal safety realm.  For instance, in October of 1999, Mandela met with leaders from Iran, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Gaza, and the United States. Although Mandela found these numerous meetings to be pleasant, he did mention that the [[Israeli]] prime minister, [[Ehud Barak]], rejected Mandela’s intervention into the conflict (Battersby).
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===Reaction to successor===
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Mandela went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in a respect, as a representative of those who stand for peace and combat racism.  Mandela, in the wake of this, regards his winning of the Peace Prize as a tribute to the people of Norway who stood against apartheid for so many years while so many more remained silent (ANC archive).
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Mandela rarely directly criticized his successor, Mbeki, but privately criticized his inability to take criticism and his conspiratorial view of the world.<ref name="NYT obituary"/> When Mbeki publicly doubted the scientifically proven cause of AIDS, Mandela finally spoke out on the issue - citing the importance of condoms and contraceptives.<ref name="NYT obituary"/>
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Certainly, Nelson Mandela’s political career after prison is one which many could be both envious of, while at the same time stand in awe at such greatness.
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==Mandela and President Bush==
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===Reaction to global affairs===
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[[File:Gaddafi and Mandela 1.JPG|thumb|Nelson Mandela with [[Muammar al-Gaddafi]]]]
  
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In a September, 2007 speech defending the Iraq war, [[George W. Bush]] blamed Mandela's death on [[Saddam Hussein]]. Mandela was, in fact, still alive.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070921/wl_nm/safrica_mandela_bush_dc Mandela still alive after embarrassing Bush remark ]</ref>
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===Health problems and death===
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Mandela suffered from a lung infection. From December 2012 to April 2013 he remained in a hospital. He had a procedure to remove a [[gallstone]].<ref>{{cite web|work=Associated Press|publisher=Fox News|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/31/south-africa-mandela-remains-in-hospital/|title=Mandela remains hospitalized for lung infection, spokesman says|language=English|date=March 31, 2013}}</ref> On April 6, 2013 he left the hospital,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/06/nelson-mandela-discharged-from-hospital-south-africa-says/|title=Nelson Mandela discharged from the hospital, South Africa says|language=English|publisher=Fox News|work=Associated Press|date=April 6, 2013}}</ref> but returned again in June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/08/south-africa-mandela-taken-to-hospital/|work=Associated Press|publisher=Fox News|title=Nelson Mandela remains in hospital with recurring lung infection|language=English|date=June 9, 2013}}</ref> Mandela was  in a critical condition for a long time.<ref>{{cite web|work=Associated Press|publisher=TownHall|url=https://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2013/06/23/south-africa-mandela-in-critical-condition-n1625432|language=English|title=South Africa: Nelson Mandela in critical condition}}</ref>  
  
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==Closing Thoughts==
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On July 4, 2013, it was revealed that court documents indicated that Nelson Mandela was on life support and was being kept alive by a breathing machine and faced "impending death"; he was kept in the hospital from June 8, 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/04/nelson-mandela-africa-apartheid/2489137/|work=Associated Press|publisher=USA Today|author=Straziuso, Jason|date=July 4, 2013|title=Nelson Mandela on life support, court documents show}}</ref> to December 5th, 2013, when he died.
  
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Nelson R. Mandela, in the wake of political turmoil, was one man who was both willing and able to stand up and fight back. Indeed, we can see how the man developed his legacy through his activist years, his years in prison, and his much more elaborate life afterwards.
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====Global reaction and funeral====
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[[George W. Bush]] and [[Barack Obama]] both spoke at Mandela's funeral - which was marred by a fake sign language interpreter, who was later admitted to a psychiatric hospital.<ref>{{cite web|work=NBC News|publisher=NBC|author=Smith, Alexander|title='Fake' interpreter from Mandela event is admitted to psychiatric hospital: report|language=English|url=http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/19/21969085-fake-interpreter-from-mandela-event-is-admitted-to-psychiatric-hospital-report?lite|date=December 19, 2013}}</ref>
  
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== Notes ==
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==References==
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{{reflist|2}}
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Ball, Terence, and Richard Dagger. Ideals and Ideologies. Fifth ed. Pearson Education,
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2004.
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Battersby, John. "Mandela." Christian Science Monitor (2000)
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"Birth of Freedom." Ed. Jon E. Lewis. New York: Gramercy Books.
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Denenberg, Barry. No Easy Walk to Freedom. Ca-Print Harcourt Heinamann.
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"Profile of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela." African National Congress Archive
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandela, Nelson}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandela, Nelson}}
  
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[[Category:Heads of State]]
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[[Category:Former Heads of State]]
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[[Category:Nobel laureates in Peace]]
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[[Category:Nobel Laureates in Peace]]
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[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom award winners]]
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==References==
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[[Category:Sakharov Laureates]]
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[[Category:Terrorists]]
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*Apartheid:A History by Brian Lapping (detailed Mandela's conviction for terrorism at the Rivonia trial)
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[[Category:Communists]]
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[[Category:Leftists]]
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<references/>
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[[Category:South Africans]]
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[[Category:Christian Socialists]]

Latest revision as of 02:30, June 7, 2021

Nelson Mandela

President of South Africa
In office
May 10, 1994 – June 10, 1999
Preceded by F. W. de Klerk
Succeeded by Thabo Mbeki
Born July 19, 1918
Mvezo, South Africa
Died December 5, 2013 (aged 95)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Political party African National Congress
Spouse(s) Evelyn Ntoko Mase (1944–1957)
Winnie Madikizela (1958–1996)
Graça Machel (1998-)
Religion Methodism

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid leader and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994-1999. For his life Mandela received more than 250 honors, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom (from George W. Bush), the Sakharov Prize, the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Bharat Ratna.

He belonged to the African National Congress, a political party from the center-left to the ultra-left Leninist, which he presided from 1991 to 1997, after its legalization in 1990. He was a member and was general secretary of the MPNA (Movement of Non-Aligned Countries) between 1998 and 2002. This was a coalition of countries that remained "neutral" in the Cold War. Nelson supported the Marxist Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, and the values of and actions taken by the regime.[1] He also supported Muammar al-Gaddafi[2] and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[3]

Early life

Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa,[4] a chief of the Thembu people, a subdivision of the Xhosa nation.[5] When his father died at nine Nelson was taken in as a ward to Jongintaba Dalindyebo.[6]

Education

Mandela was sent to a Methodist[7] mission school for his primary education,[4] followed by time at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Healdtown.[6] He began studying for a bachelor's degree at University College of Fort Hare, the only residential college for blacks in South Africa,[5] but, along with Oliver Tambo,[4] was expelled for joining a student protest.[6] Upon returning to his village, as retribution,[6] Mandela's family selected a bride for him and his cousin, Justice; the two fled the family - and the prospect of leadership in tribal government - for Johannesburg, South Africa.[4][5] There he worked in gold mines as a guard, but was fired when his superior discovered he was a runaway.[4][5] Mandela would complete his bachelor's degree at the University of South Africa in 1943 and return to Fort Hare for his graduation.[6]

Pre-imprisonment career

Work experience, early political activism

In Johannesburg, Mandela was introduced to Walter Sisulu, a real estate businessman and a prominent member of the African National Congress (ANC) - a black liberation party opposed the extreme segregation called apartheid;[4][5][8] Sisulu arranged for Mandela to be articled to a white attorney, Lazar Sidelsky, while Mandela studied law part-time at University of the Witwatersrand - though he would leave the school in 1948.[6][7] Mandela began to follow Anton Lembede; he, along with Mandela, Tambo and Sisulu organized the radical A.N.C. Youth League, alienating some white sympathizers with their strong black national rhetoric.[4][5][7] The Youth League was also critical of the "old guard" leadership of the ANC.[4]

“I was angry at the white man, not at racism ... While I was not prepared to hurl the white man into the sea, I would have been perfectly happy if he climbed aboard his steamships and left the continent of his own volition.”
— Nelson Mandela[5]

At this time, Mandela fell strongly onto the side of Africanism is the liberation debate between Africanism and nonracialism in liberation theology, though his eventual embrace of nonracialism would define his later life and career.[5] The ANC Youth League was also fiercely anti-communist; Mandela would break up Communist Party meetings - regarding Communism as foreign and non-Afircan and believing that blacks should liberate themselves.[5][7] This philosophy changed with the victory of the Afrikaner National Party in 1948 in the all-white elections; the National Party had run on a platform of apartheid and strong anti-communism.[7] The elections sparked the radicalization of the ANC[9] - in 1949 the Youth League's tactics of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-co-operation were adopted as official ANC policy, and older members were purged from leadership positions.[4] Mandela would assume leadership positions within the party - including President of the Youth League and National Volunteer-in-Chief of the ANC.[4]

In 1952, the ANC launched its first passive resistance - the Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws.[4][7] The Defiance Campaign was suppressed with legislation lead by the National Party; protests were met with arrests - including that of Mandela's in 1956 on charges of treason (one of 156 ANC leaders to be arrested that year).[7] The court found that Mandela had consistently advised his adherers to not resort to violence, but he was found guilty of contravening the Suppression of Communism Act and given a suspended prison sentence.[4] Mandela was also confined to Johannesburg for six months and prohibited from attending gatherings; during this time, Mandela, despite not completing his law degree, and Tambo set up the first black law partnership in South Africa;[5] the firm helped black clients with their political and other legal difficulties.[7]

In 1953, Mandela created the M-plan (named after him) - a contingency plan in case the ANC - like the Communist Party - was declared illegal. The M-plan detailed how the party could run underground, communicating with members without resorting to public meetings.[4] Throughout the fifties Mandela would be consistently banned, arrested and imprisoned.[4] In 1960 - the more radical Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) broke away from the ANC; their tactics- though still peaceful - were more aggressive and were met with violence.[4][7] On March 21, 1961 police killed 69 peaceful protestors in what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre; after this massacre both parties were banned.[4][5][7]

He also had been a Communist, and even went as far as to give a speech on how to be a good communist.[10] In addition, he also was a senior member of the South African Communist Party by his arrest in 1962.[11] In 1990 at Johannesburg, he was also photographed with his then-wife Winnie (who was infamous for her method of execution known as necklacing, which involved putting a tire to a person's neck filled with gasoline and setting them on fire) as well as Stalinist member Joe Slovo during a South African Communist Party rally with the Soviet Star and Hammer and Sickle logos prominently displayed on a red background.[12]

Militarist leader

The Sharpeville Massacre sparked a turning point for Mandela - he became convinced that the ANC needed to adopt a separate military wing, called Umkhonto we Sizwe, or Spear of the Nation; Mandela was made commander-in-chief.[5][7] There is also evidence that Mandela joined the South African Communist Party and a member the party's Central Committee (though he denied it through his life) - presumably for contacts.[5][13] The new, violent, methods of the ANC were to destroy power plants and communications systems; the goal was that these acts would limit overseas investment. Mandela was adamant that the group not kill, but by the end of its 20-year campaign 63 people had been killed and 483 injured; the group was declared a terrorist group by the white South African government and the United States.[14] Mandela left the country soon after the Spear of the Nation began its tactics, hoping to generate worldwide support and economic sanctions so that Pretoria might abandon apartheid.[7] In 1962, Mandela was arrested after 17 months in hiding, charged with incitement to strike and illegally leaving the country.[7] Mandela was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.[4][7]

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But my lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
— Nelson Mandela[5]

While serving, the South African police raided a farm near Rivonia - finding future plans of sabotage; Mandela and his colleagues were charged with organising sabotage and violent revolution as well as furthering the aims of communism; at his trial, Mandela declared his ideal of democracy in a four-hour speech - concluding, "It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."[7] Mandela acknowledged his crimes - that he was the commander of Spear of the Nation and that he had made alliances with Communists, but declared that he had turned to violence only when nonviolent means were foreclosed and likened his affiliation with Communists to Churchill's cooperation with Stalin against Hitler.[5] Nelson also commented on his political evolution from black nationalist to multiracialist.[5] In part due to overwhelming pressure from the international community - including a near-unanimous vote by the United Nations - the lives of the accused were spared; Mandela and his colleagues were sentenced to life in prison.[5] When President Botha offered to have him pardoned if he would renounce terrorism, he refused.[10]

Imprisonment

Mandela became an elder statesman of the prison on Robben Island[9] - where there were frequent clashes with prisoners and guards, he seemed above the fray; he was also singled out for cruelties. He was denied permission to attend the funerals of his mother and oldest son, and his wife endured persecution after being exiled from Johannesburg.[5] Mandela and the prisoners initially turned down officers of release; he commented "Prisoners cannot enter into contracts - only free men can negotiate."[4] Mandela credited his time in prison with the cessation of his desire for vengeance, speaking of sympathetic white guards and National Party members who would attempt a dialogue.[5]

Pretoria began a more stringent crackdown on minority party activities - it detained 20,000 people without trial,[7] but the pressure from the international community was too great. Mandela ultimately decided to negotiate with the white government without telling his fellow inmates and party-members, saying, “My comrades did not have the advantages that I had of brushing shoulders with the V.I.P.’s who came here, the judges, the minister of justice, the commissioner of prisons, and I had come to overcome my own prejudice towards them ... So I decided to present my colleagues with a fait accompli.”[5]

In December 1988, as negotiations gathered momentum, and Mandela's health deteriorated (he had prostate surgery while in prison), he was moved to the Victor Verster Prison - where he could be better cared for and live in more comfortable conditions.[4][5] In February 1990, President Frederik Willem de Klerk legalized the ANC and shortly after released Mandela; two weeks later Mandela became the Deputy President of the ANC.[7]

Release and election

Negotiations between Mandela, the ANC and the ruling party continued until eventually free elections were agreed upon, in exchange for a share of power for opposition parties and a guarantee that whites would not be threatened with reprisals.[5] In the ensuing elections of April 1994, the ANC won 62% of the vote - ensuring that Mandela would be the next President of South Africa.[5][7]

Presidency

Though elected leader, Mandela was frequently deferring to others in leadership. De Klerk and Thabo Mbeki - the latter selected by the ANC - were Mandela's deputy presidents, and privately he left most appointments and practical decisions to Mbeki, referring to himself as "head of state" rather than "head of government".[7] When De Klerk left the coalition, Mbeki was allowed more power - sometimes presiding over the cabinet.

Mandela was not as effective in elected office as he was revolutionary leader. Prior to his election - he sought the financial support of 20 industrialists to build up the ANC. When he took office, he allowed the industrialists to have unprecedented access to the executive - and favored his big donors over unions.[5] Mandela also made minimal progress towards the modest goals he had set on housing, education and jobs.[5] He failed to grab the lead at the dawn of the ensuing crisis of AIDS; refusing to acknowledge the unpopular subject at a time when contraceptives were considered taboo in South Africa.[7]

Still, Mandela continued to act as a unifier among races - as in 1995 when he shook the hand of Francois Pienaar - the Springbok rugby captain - significant due to rugby's strong association with Afrikaners - whose leaders strongly supported apartheid.[9][15]

Post-Presidency

Reaction to successor

Mandela rarely directly criticized his successor, Mbeki, but privately criticized his inability to take criticism and his conspiratorial view of the world.[5] When Mbeki publicly doubted the scientifically proven cause of AIDS, Mandela finally spoke out on the issue - citing the importance of condoms and contraceptives.[5]

Reaction to global affairs

Nelson Mandela with Muammar al-Gaddafi

Health problems and death

Mandela suffered from a lung infection. From December 2012 to April 2013 he remained in a hospital. He had a procedure to remove a gallstone.[16] On April 6, 2013 he left the hospital,[17] but returned again in June 2013.[18] Mandela was in a critical condition for a long time.[19]

On July 4, 2013, it was revealed that court documents indicated that Nelson Mandela was on life support and was being kept alive by a breathing machine and faced "impending death"; he was kept in the hospital from June 8, 2013[20] to December 5th, 2013, when he died.

Global reaction and funeral

George W. Bush and Barack Obama both spoke at Mandela's funeral - which was marred by a fake sign language interpreter, who was later admitted to a psychiatric hospital.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Speech by Nelson Mandela, July 26, 1991, in Cuba: http://db.nelsonmandela.org/speeches/pub_view.asp?pg=item&ItemID=NMS1526&txtstr=cuba
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/G-afUmpGBmw
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/wCPlz9-SyPM
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 South Africa: Biography of Nelson Mandela (English). AllAfrica (12-06-2013). Retrieved on 12-10-2013.
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 Keller, Bill (December 5, 2013). Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s Liberator as Prisoner and President, Dies at 95 (English). The New York Times. Retrieved on 12-10-2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Biography (English). Nelson Mandela Foundation. Retrieved on 12-10-2013.
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 Sampson, Anthony. Nelson Mandela biography: A long walk to immortality - the life and times of Madiba (English). The Independent.
  8. ↑ Apartheid (English). History. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved on December 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Holman, Michael (December 7, 2013). Nelson Mandela: A life rich in drama, tragedy, triumph and reconciliation (English). The Telegraph. Retrieved on December 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20041204063644/http://home.wanadoo.nl/rhodesia/goodcom.html
  11. ↑ http://newobserveronline.com/mandela-lied-to-world-south-african-communist-party-admits-he-was-senior-central-committee-member/
  12. ↑ https://timeonhands.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/soviet-support-for-nelson-mandela.jpg
  13. ↑ Marrian, Natasha (December 6, 2013). http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/politics/2013/12/06/sacp-confirms-nelson-mandela-was-a-member (English). Business Day Live.
  14. ↑ Laing, Aislinn (February 5, 2011). Nelson Mandela's Spear of the Nation: the ANC's armed resistance (English). The Telegraph. Retrieved on December 18, 2013.
  15. ↑ Muller, Antoinette (December 12, 2013). Mandela - Francois Pienaar’s tribute: short, simple, apt. Daily Maverick. Retrieved on December 18, 2013.
  16. ↑ Mandela remains hospitalized for lung infection, spokesman says (English). Associated Press. Fox News (March 31, 2013).
  17. ↑ Nelson Mandela discharged from the hospital, South Africa says (English). Associated Press. Fox News (April 6, 2013).
  18. ↑ Nelson Mandela remains in hospital with recurring lung infection (English). Associated Press. Fox News (June 9, 2013).
  19. ↑ South Africa: Nelson Mandela in critical condition (English). Associated Press. TownHall.
  20. ↑ Straziuso, Jason (July 4, 2013). Nelson Mandela on life support, court documents show. Associated Press. USA Today.
  21. ↑ Smith, Alexander (December 19, 2013). 'Fake' interpreter from Mandela event is admitted to psychiatric hospital: report (English). NBC News. NBC.
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