United States role in the ending of apartheid

United States Role in the Ending of Apartheid

The Role of the United States in the Ending of Apartheid

The United States played a strong role in the ending of apartheid in South Africa. This is significant in and of itself, but it is also important to take a look at how this happened and why the United States became so involved in a cause that was thousands of miles away. Apartheid in South Africa began in 1948 (Brown, 40). It was a system whereby individuals were racially and geographically segregated, and was similar to the segregation that took place in America in the past when blacks and whites were not allowed to use the same restrooms, ride the same buses, or attend the same schools.

The issues of race and class were very prominent in our country from 1865 to 1917. They are still prominent today in some areas of the country. Even though both issues were of great importance, race clearly had a larger effect on the country than class did. Between the years of 1865 and 1917, race and class were closely intertwined. The opinion was held that if you were not white, you were a lower class citizen. This stereotype still persists to this day, although not as strongly as it once did.

The same stereotype was seen in South Africa during the time of apartheid, and this is one of the main reasons that individuals in this country identified with it so strongly (Kashula & Anthonissen, 98). It was a time of great change for America, and those that were working to affect this change believed that the change should take place within South Africa as well. College campuses, especially, were hotbeds of activity when it came to dealing with apartheid. There were many protests and a great deal of upset on campuses and within groups of young individuals. This was very important, as it showed that the younger generation felt some unity with the problems that others were facing in foreign countries.

There are reasons behind this, but yet it is still somewhat surprising, because college students in general are largely assumed to care about little other than themselves. However, the apartheid issue clearly indicated that those of the younger generation during that time felt that there were important issues that they needed to get involved in. Much of this came from the understanding that they had of being singled out and 'different.' College students throughout history, in addition to being seemingly unconcerned with the plight of others, have seen themselves overall as being 'against the administration' and as being mistreated by those that were older, due to all of the rules and other issues that they had. This does not mean that every college-age person feels this way, but only that the majority of them seem to hold this opinion of society.

These students feel as though they are being singled out and placed in a metaphorical box because of what they are and how they are classified, and because of this they can identify with the individuals that were involved with the apartheid in South Africa. Like the South African victims of apartheid, the college students of that time period felt very much like they were being forced into areas that they did not belong in, had no power to affect change in those areas, and were segregated and judged based on who they were. The movement to stop apartheid in South Africa really became popular on college campuses all across the United States during that time, and it begin to spread out eventually into other areas of society as well, which brought it to the notice of the government much more strongly than it already was.

When it became obvious that there were many people in the country that were concerned about what was happening over in South Africa and thought that it should be stopped, the government and big business began to realize that they must do something to help end the apartheid. They began to boycott goods from South Africa to show their displeasure with what was taking place in that country. In addition to this, they also began to divest themselves of all of the interests that they had in that country, which meant that money that was coming into South Africa from foreign direct investment dried up and virtually disappeared. This was unfortunate for those that did business in South Africa, because they had grown accustomed to the money from other countries and had come to expect it and rely on it. When it suddenly dried up, these businesses were left struggling (Soudien, 128). However, they realized that the reason behind this divestment had to do with the way that they were allowing their people to be treated.