1.1.1

Who was the governing political party of South Africa and their president Who was the governing political party of South Africa and their president when the 'Total strategy' policy was in effect?

1.1.2

Explain the THREE strategic values of South Africa according to the source.

1.1.3

Explain how the apartheid government used the context of the Cold War to gain international support.

Transcribed Image Text:SOURCE 1A The content of this article was taken from the book A Crime Against Humanity- Analysing the Repression of the Apartheid State edited by Max Coleman, (Cape Town) 'Total strategy' is a term with which most South Africans will be familiar. It came into common use during the era of P.W. Botha and was portrayed by its authors as the apartheid government's response to the perceived threat of the total onslaught'. The total onslaught, the story went, was the threat posed to South Africa (and indeed to the Western world) by the Soviet Union's designs on the strategic value of South Africa as the industrial powerhouse of the African continent, the guardian of the sea lanes around the Cape of Good Hope, and in particular the possessor of enormous mineral wealth, which combined with the mineral wealth profile of the Soviet Union would enable that country to hold the world to ransom. Furthermore, there were revolutionary forces at work within South Africa, which were intent upon supporting and fuelling this threat. This ingenious invention was intended to serve many purposes: to win the support of Western governments; to justify draconian repression of the black population or that part of it displaying tendencies towards toppling white power; • to brainwash the white population into closing ranks, particularly within the security forces (defence and police) and within the judiciary, even to the extent of mentally condoning torture and assassination of political activists; to justify destabilization of South Africa's neighbours, through cross-border raids, through support for Renamo, Unita and other renegade forces and through military invasion of Angola. The irony of the doctrine of total strategy was that it was designed to portray the apartheid government as the sole bastion of Western democracy on the continent of Africa, whereas the real purpose of total strategy was to maintain apartheid power in the most undemocratic manner imaginable, serving the interests of 13% of the population at total expense of 87% of the population.

Question

1.1.1

Who was the governing political party of South Africa and their president Who was the governing political party of South Africa and their president when the 'Total strategy' policy was in effect?

1.1.2

Explain the THREE strategic values of South Africa according to the source.

1.1.3

Explain how the apartheid government used the context of the Cold War to gain international support.

Transcribed Image Text:SOURCE 1A The content of this article was taken from the book A Crime Against Humanity- Analysing the Repression of the Apartheid State edited by Max Coleman, (Cape Town) 'Total strategy' is a term with which most South Africans will be familiar. It came into common use during the era of P.W. Botha and was portrayed by its authors as the apartheid government's response to the perceived threat of the total onslaught'. The total onslaught, the story went, was the threat posed to South Africa (and indeed to the Western world) by the Soviet Union's designs on the strategic value of South Africa as the industrial powerhouse of the African continent, the guardian of the sea lanes around the Cape of Good Hope, and in particular the possessor of enormous mineral wealth, which combined with the mineral wealth profile of the Soviet Union would enable that country to hold the world to ransom. Furthermore, there were revolutionary forces at work within South Africa, which were intent upon supporting and fuelling this threat. This ingenious invention was intended to serve many purposes: to win the support of Western governments; to justify draconian repression of the black population or that part of it displaying tendencies towards toppling white power; • to brainwash the white population into closing ranks, particularly within the security forces (defence and police) and within the judiciary, even to the extent of mentally condoning torture and assassination of political activists; to justify destabilization of South Africa's neighbours, through cross-border raids, through support for Renamo, Unita and other renegade forces and through military invasion of Angola. The irony of the doctrine of total strategy was that it was designed to portray the apartheid government as the sole bastion of Western democracy on the continent of Africa, whereas the real purpose of total strategy was to maintain apartheid power in the most undemocratic manner imaginable, serving the interests of 13% of the population at total expense of 87% of the population.

Accepted Answer

The total strategy was the reaction of the South African apartheid government's effort to face the…