South African Independence
South Africa's journey from British dominion (1910) through the apartheid era (1948-1994) to democratic nation, culminating in Nelson Mandela's election as the first Black president in the country's first fully democratic elections (April 1994).
Preceding Causes
Decades of ANC-led resistance (including the Defiance Campaign, Sharpeville massacre, Soweto uprising, and armed struggle), international economic sanctions and cultural boycott, and internal pressure from the United Democratic Front forced the apartheid government under F.W. de Klerk to negotiate. The end of the Cold War removed the apartheid regime's ability to present itself as an anti-communist bulwark.
Decolonization of Africa
The wave of African independence movements following WWII that transformed 50+ colonies into independent nations between 1945–1994.
British Empire
At its peak in the early 20th century, the British Empire controlled roughly a quarter of the world's land surface and population, making it the largest empire in history by territory.