Anti-apartheid movement in the United States

International opposition to
apartheid in South Africa
Anti-apartheid protest in Amsterdam, 1988
Campaigns
Instruments and legislation
Organisations
Conferences
UN Security Council Resolutions
Other aspects

The anti-apartheid movement was a worldwide effort to end South Africa's apartheid regime and its oppressive policies of racial segregation. The movement emerged after the National Party government in South Africa won the election of 1948 and enforced a system of racial segregation through legislation.[1] Opposition to the apartheid system came from both within South Africa and the international community, in particular Great Britain and the United States.[2] The anti-apartheid movement consisted of a series of demonstrations, economic divestment, and boycotts against South Africa. In the United States, anti-apartheid efforts were initiated primarily by nongovernmental human rights organizations.[3] On the other hand, state and federal governments were reluctant to support the call for sanctions against South Africa due to a Cold War alliance with the country and profitable economic ties.[4] The rift between public condemnation of apartheid and the U.S government's continued support of the South African government delayed efforts to negotiate a peaceful transfer to majority rule.[5] Eventually, a congressional override of President Reagan's veto resulted in passage of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986. However, the extent to which the anti-apartheid movement contributed to the downfall of apartheid in 1994 remains under debate.

  1. ^ "Anti-Apartheid Movement > Introductory Essay". www.avoiceonline.org. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  2. ^ Gurney, Christabel (March 2000). "'A Great Cause': The Origins of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, June 1959-March 1960". Journal of Southern African Studies. 26 (1): 123–144. doi:10.1080/030570700108414. ISSN 0305-7070. S2CID 145197743.
  3. ^ Rodman, Kenneth (1998). "'Think Globally, Punish Locally': Nonstate Actors, Multinational Corporations, and Human Rights Sanctions". Annual Journal of the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs. 12.
  4. ^ Ungar and Vale (1985). "South Africa: Why Constructive Engagement Failed" (PDF). Council on Foreign Relations. 64 (2): 234–258. doi:10.2307/20042571. ISSN 0305-7070. JSTOR 20042571 – via JSTOR.
  5. ^ Zunes, Stephen (1999). "The Role of Non-Violent Action in the Downfall of Apartheid" (PDF). The Journal of Modern African Studies. 37 (1): 137–169. doi:10.1017/S0022278X99002967. ISSN 0022-278X. JSTOR 161471. S2CID 55164413 – via JSTOR.