The Fall Of The Apartheid Regime...

[sandyRoe]

I think it more or less coincided with the end of communism and the Americans didn't see any need to prop it up anymore. I may be wrong.
Can anyone recommend an accessible book on the subject?

[Peter Pedant]

History is a social construct re written in every generation...
so good luck in your search

The fall of the portuguese and rhodesian regimes co incided with a realisation that economically they were nt able to hang on to them.
67% of the last Portuguese colonial budget went on defence.

One of the issues is that Mandela started a process what has not been finished, and some look to Z as an example of a just and equal society that they want....

[Gromit]

I had never really connected the two. Nor ever thought lack of support from the US contributed to the fall of the regime. Not saying you are wrong, just I've not considered that.

[Peter Pedant]

hence my comment of re writing history

Still there is a huge industry out there - and all the best grads in this -ology seem to move onto the Beeb....

[jake-the-peg]

Even so Peter, you have to acknowledge that with the fall of great powers there are often pretty bloody civil wars or authoritarian dictatorships

South Africa looked ripe for bloodshed- the fact that that didn't happen is probably pretty largely due to one man's influence.

It's not so much that Nelson Mandela brought about the end of apartheit - I'm pretty sure that would have happened anyway

It's the manner of its passing that he's so widely praised for

[sandyRoe]

I do remember that spokesmen for the regime like to paint it as a bastion of freedom and to be standing against Communism in Africa. After the red threat had vanished they weren't as useful t Washington as they might once have been.

[Brinjal]

Not so sure about the connection of communism and sth Africa but Mugabe in Zim Machel in Mozambique and Savimbi in Angola were definitely seen as communist threats. In reality the African by nature is a capitalist and while they used the support of Russia , Cuba etc for their own ends their allegiance to communism was flimsy.

[Linotype]

Some say it still exists! For better or worse it most likely 'officially' ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela and his fellow terrorists decided to 'give it a go!' Alas, South Africa has slumped into a third world mentality these days – but still a great place for a holiday especially given current exchange rate, etc.