Nelson Mandela Apartheid is “a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa” (Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, n.d.). When you hear the word apartheid, you automatically think of Nelson Mandela, the most influential man in the fight for human rights for black South Africans. Mr. Mandela was a Visionary and Ethical Leader. His actions, decisions and behaviors lead to the end of apartheid and the creation of a democratic government in South Africa. During this essay, I will discuss how Mr. Mandela realized his vision using the Eight-Step Change Process and his Transformational Leadership trait of Inspirational Motivation. Mr. Mandela was Morally Courageous and although behaved unethically for a time, I will argue his behavior, according to Consequences Test, was justified. I will then share what I have learned from Nelson Mandela and how it is personally relevant to me.
Visionary Leader
Nelson Mandela’s vision was to see the end of apartheid and to gain equality for South African natives. He did this using the Transformational Leadership trait of Inspirational Motivation. According to Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education [BCEE] (2014), he did through his spoken words, which inspired his followers to envision freedom and democracy for all South Africans. According to his autobiography, Mr. Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison, convicted of crimes committed in his
Apartheid was a set of racial laws that segregated the various race groups of South Africa. It came into power along with the National Party came into power in 1948. The government was ruled by all white members and they enforced racial segregation policies that served to benefit whites and put down other races. Some laws included not allowing certain races to live or even enter certain areas, known as pass laws. Another law prohibited whites and blacks from being together romantically. Even when Blacks got to work in some of the same field of jobs as whites, they were forced into black specific groups. Apartheid split the population into four groups. White being the most privileged and getting the most benefits; whites held the most control.
Black South Africans living in South Africa, had to endure fifty years of oppression and racial discrimination. Apartheid was a policy implemented by the South African government across South Africa. It was used to control the Black South African population since they make up the majority of the population. The government created Apartheid, due to their fear that the Black population will overthrow them. Living as a Black South African meant that they had to live a more oppressive and undesirable life.
“To deny people their right to human rights is to challenge their very humanity. To impose on them a wretched life of hunger and deprivation is to dehumanize them. But such has been the terrible fate of all black persons in our country under the system of apartheid (“In Nelson Mandela’s own words”). Nelson Mandela was a moral compass symbolizing the struggle against racial oppression. Nelson Mandela emerged from prison after twenty-seven years to lead his country to justice. For twenty-seven years he sat in a cell because he believed in a country without apartheid, a country with freedom and human rights. He fought for a country where all people were equal, treated with respect and given equal opportunity. Nelson Mandela looms large in the
Apartheid is an Afrikaans word for apartness and also the title of an infamous system of racial segregation that governed South Africa for almost 50 years. It was a system wherein white people dominated socially, economically and politically at the expense of black people, and had its roots in the colonial period; when the Europeans first reached Africa to obtain raw materials and exploit the natives for labour, justifying their actions with Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden, that expressed the white man’s duty to civilise non-whites. South Africa retained its discriminatory laws and homelands up until 1994 when apartheid finally was abolished. Resistance campaigns and freedom fighters, such as Nelson Mandela, are most commonly credited with
The story depicted by the movie Invictus is just a glimpse at the many hearts that he touched through his transformational leadership approach proved to be a success in the accomplishment of his end goal of equal diversity amongst the citizens of South Africa. Mandela experienced a great amount of satisfaction from his role in changing the government’s environment and finding peace for
Specific Purpose: To inform my communication studies 192 with a general understanding of the life and outstanding impact that Nelson Mandela has left on the world.
The life story of Nelson Mandela has long become a legend, a story that transcends race, borders, culture, or language. He is one of the greatest leaders to ever step foot on this Earth. He was willing to give up his own personal freedoms for the good of his people. Still, his decisions at major points in his lifetime hold lessons for individuals who are inspired of becoming good leaders. Many leaders are inspired by the actions and decision-makings abilities of Mandela. He kept the interest of others before his own. This is what made Nelson Mandela a great leader, and worthy of winning a Nobel Prize. From the decisions he made, and his life experiences while fighting for human rights, one can conclude that Mandela is truly
In this speech Nelson also uses a lot of logic and statement, otherwise known as logos, to explain much of his thinking. Although at times Mandela literally convicts himself, he gives reasoning toward what lead him to those decisions. He states that “fifty years of non-violence had brought the African
The national party achieved power in South Africa in 1948 the government, usually comprised on “white people”, and racially segregated the country by a policy under the Apartheid legislation system. With this new policy in place the black South African people were forced to live segregated from the white people and use separate public facilities. There were many attempts to overthrow the Apartheid regime, it persisted to control for almost 50 years.
First, when Mr. Mandela decided to stand up for his values and for the liberty cause, even when he knew he was facing prison or death sentence, he showed a lot of courage and loyalty. Second, in a more specific way, Nelson Mandela had a sharp mind as we can see when he decided to form the African National Congress Youth League with his friends. Finally, when he accepted to be the president of the ANC and to be at the head of the anti-apartheid movement, he showed a lot of leadership and
Mandela is best known for serving twenty-seven years in prison as a protest against the South African government’s racial segregation. Most people either count down to the day they are released from prison, not Mandela. While in prison he continued his schooling continued his life works. He organized hunger and work strikes to try to improve the living conditions of the prison. Prison authorities discovered Mandela studying and his study privileges were taken for four years. Although Mandela experienced unfair conditions while in prison he continued to improve the world he was living
One large problem that occurred because of apartheid and was the cause of many protests was from 1961-1994, 3.5 million colored people and their families were forced out of their homes while their property was sold for very low prices to white farmers. This was just one example of events that were completely unfair to the colored population. Nelson Mandela was the person who stopped these acts from happening. In 1994, Mandela became the country’s first colored president. Instead of trying to make the people who put him into jail for 27 years suffer in consequences, he embraced them and used peace to unite everyone as equals, and not oppressing the people who had oppressed him for most of his life. Apartheid was a very rough time for anyone who lived in South Africa before Nelson Mandela and his peace helped to stop it.
Nelson Mandela was the man who abolished Apartheid, freeing South Africa from the binds of racial segregation forever. However, it was not an easy road and Mandela needed patience, strength of character, focus, passion, understanding, perseverance, and most importantly, forgiveness, to achieve this. For more than forty years, black South Africans were subject to the harsh racial segregation of the Apartheid system; despite making up over 70% of South Africa’s population, they had little to no rights.
Imagine being systematically oppressed from the moment you exited the womb. All your civil rights, based on the amount of melanin in your skin. Drinking from the wrong water fountain, could even get you thrown into jail. Coincidently; this was the life, of black South Africans from the moment of Dutch colonization in 1652, to the first true democratic election in 1994. Apartheid, meaning “separateness” in Afrikaans; was legal segregation enforced by The National Party (NP) from 1948 to 1994. It legally imposed preexisting policies of racial discrimination on the Majority of the South African population. The entire basis of the racist policies, was the darker your complexion the less legal rights you had. Presumably this injustice, could have continued much longer if it weren’t for all involved in the fight against the NP, however the man who arguably contributed the most, was Nelson Mandela. He ended an apartheid, with both his philanthropy and political prowess. He united a nation that used to be segregated; which seemed a daunting task at the time, but through the sweat and bloodshed he achieved the impossible. This alone exhibited his heroic characteristics, but to be more precise: both his actions and inactions lead to his success. Furthermore, Mandela was both a strong leader and forgiving at the same-time. Being in the forefront of the abolishment movement, was an extremely risky move during the apartheid. He risked his life for what he believed in, and this personal
I have always thought that Nelson Mandela has been one of the most important people in history. I find it very fascinating that one man could end the Apartheid and that is why I want to find out more about this. South Africa is a country with a past of enforced racism and separation of its multi-racial community. The White Europeans invaded South Africa and started a political system known as 'Apartheid' (meaning 'apartness'). This system severely restricted the rights and lifestyle of the non-White inhabitants of the country forcing them to live separately from the White Europeans. I have chosen to investigate how the Apartheid affected people’s lives, and also how and why the Apartheid system rose and fell in South Africa.