State and political figure Nelson Mandela - biography, life story and interesting facts. Nelson Mandela - biography, information, personal life
State and political figure of the Republic of South Africa (SAR), former President of South Africa (1994-1999) Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 near Umtata (Eastern Cape Province of South Africa).
His great-grandfather was the leader of the Tembu tribe. One of the chief's sons, named Mandela, became Nelson's grandfather. A surname was formed from his name. At birth, Mandela received the name Rolihlahla, which means "cutting the branches of trees", and translated from the figurative local language, fidget, troublemaker, troublemaker. At a school where African children were given English names to make it easier for teachers to pronounce them, Mandela was called Nelson, after the British admiral.
Nelson Mandela studied at Fort Hare College, from which he was expelled in 1940 for participating in a student strike. He worked as a watchman at a mine in Johannesburg, served in a law office in Johannesburg.
In 1943, Mandela began studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he studied until 1948, but never received a law degree. Later he studied at the University of London, but also did not graduate from it. Nelson Mandela did not complete his LL.B. in 1989, during the final months of his imprisonment. While in prison, he studied by correspondence at the University of South Africa.
In 1944, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League and soon became one of its leaders. In the 1950s he was one of the most active anti-apartheid fighters in southern Africa. He was repeatedly arrested by the police.
From the end of 1953, the South African government banned Mandela from speaking at public events for two years and renewed this ban for five years in 1956. Nelson Mandela was charged with treason in 1956 and acquitted in 1961.
After the events in Sharpeville (1960), when 67 Africans were killed as a result of riots, the South African government banned the ANC. Mandela went underground. In June 1961, the leaders of the ANC decided to switch to armed methods of struggle against apartheid. The military organization of the ANC was formed, headed by Mandela. In June 1964, he was arrested by the South African security forces and sentenced to life imprisonment.
During his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela became world famous. In South Africa and in other countries, a movement for his release unfolded. He spent 18 years in prison on Robbon Island (1964-1982), in 1982 he was transferred to the Cape Town prison, where he spent six years, after which he was hospitalized due to tuberculosis. In 1985, Nelson Mandela rejected South African President Peter Botha's offer of release in exchange for giving up political struggle.
Mandela was released in 1990 amid the crisis of the apartheid system and in 1991 became head of the ANC.
In 1993, Nelson Mandela and South African President Frederick de Klerk were awarded Nobel Prize world for their efforts to end apartheid.
In 1994, South Africa held its first nationwide elections with an African majority, which resulted in Nelson Mandela becoming the first black President of South Africa.
In 1996, under his leadership, a new constitution for the Republic of South Africa was developed and adopted, which guaranteed equal rights to all South Africans regardless of race, gender, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
Remaining in the presidency of the country, Mandela resigned as leader of the ANC in December 1997, and did not put forward his candidacy for the presidency of South Africa in the 1999 elections.
Retiring from public affairs, Mandela.
Nelson Mandela is the author of several books, notably No easy way to freedom" (1965), "I'm ready to die" (1979).
He was awarded many government awards from dozens of countries around the world (including the USSR, Russia, USA, Great Britain, Canada, India, etc.).
In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of the contribution former president South Africa in the cause of peace and freedom.
Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The name of Nelson Mandela was mentioned in the Soviet Union only in the context of the unequal struggle of Africans against white "exploiters". By the 1980s, the demand of the USSR to release the prisoner of conscience was joined by voices from the opposite camp - the USA and Europe. As a result, the apartheid regime collapsed, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.
Every schoolchild in the USSR knew what South African apartheid was. However, the blacks themselves in South Africa at first did not know about it. After all, it was like that everywhere and everywhere where the white colonialists came, and to some extent it was the norm. Moreover, South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, who proclaimed a course towards “real sovereignty” and the policy of apartheid, enjoyed the support of blacks, because he allowed them self-government and protection of the law in his settlements (bantustans).
The Zulu tribes even gave him a nickname - "the man who brought the rain", that is, abundance. But there were also Africans who wanted not only to work, but also to live among the whites, because their standard of living was incomparably higher. Apartheid, on the other hand, imposed severe restrictions, and violations were punished with reprisals. And if ordinary citizens were law-abiding, then the young representatives of the African nobility considered this state of affairs unfair.
One of them was the great-grandson of the Tembu ruler, Rolilahla Mandela, better known as Nelson Mandela. His path to politics could never have taken place if his relatives had not picked up a “profitable” bride for him. Because of his unwillingness to marry, Mandela left the university and ran away from his guardian. Relatives, in the end, gave in to him, relations improved, and Nelson again entered the university. But already in another - the Witwatersrand. It was there that Nelson Mandela learned how badly Africans live on their land.
The white socialists and communists, who spoke under the slogans: "Africans must be masters of their own land", "The white colonizer humiliates the blacks!" helped the crown prince to see clearly. Among other things, the agitators did not forget to mention that all "progressive humanity" supports the struggle of Africans for their rights.
The first action of the young Nelson Mandela was to participate in a rally against the increase in bus fares. But already in 1943 he became a member of the African National
congress (ANC). However, he hated being on the sidelines, and he founded the Youth League under the ANC. Its manifesto was written from the standpoint of African nationalism and expressed the view that white man no place in Africa.
When the National Party won in 1948, proclaiming a course towards apartheid, Mandela began to blame the leaders of the ANC: “This is what your liberalism has led to!” Naturally, Nelson's authority grew among black youth, and in 1950 he became president of the ANC Youth League. In addition, there is evidence that Mandela (like the entire leadership of the ANC) was also a member of the Communist Party of South Africa, which was mainly run by Jewish guys.
The first time the police arrested Mandela and 150 others was on December 5, 1956. They were charged with high treason and the desire for a violent change of power. But over the four years of investigation, the detectives did not find the corpus delicti, and the accused were acquitted.
Nelson Mandela effect
The 50-60s of the 20th century were marked by a series of revolutions and the overthrow of the colonialist regime in such African countries as Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, Congo. Supporters expected something similar from Mandela. The impetus was the tragedy in Sharpeville on March 21, 1960. On that day, the ANC called on blacks to come to the police station to voice their dissatisfaction against the passbook system.
The site was surrounded by a crowd of 6 thousand people, which the cops dispersed with gas and batons. After some time, people again began to flock to the polling station, demanding the release of the three leaders arrested during the crackdown. When the demonstrators began to shake the fence surrounding the task, the policemen lost their nerve, and fire was opened on the crowd. The result of the 40-second shooting was the killing of 69 people.
After this tragedy, members of the ANC began to demand that Mandela abandon the postulates of Mahatma Gandhi, replacing them with the more familiar one - blood for blood. And Nelson Mandela did not deceive their expectations, organizing in 1961 the armed wing of the ANC - "Umkhonto we sizwe" ("Spear of the Nation"). The purpose of this organization was the destruction of the state built by the whites. To do this, Nelson managed to attract money from abroad and provide training for his fighters outside of South Africa.
Apartheid in South Africa
And soon the terrorists made themselves felt. Here is what Mandela's associate, Wolfie Kadesh, recalled: "... from December 16, 1961, we had to start blowing up the symbolic places of apartheid, such as passport offices, local magistrates' courts, post offices and government offices." By the 1980s, the number of victims of the Black Terror was in the hundreds. Even Mandela himself acknowledged that the ANC had grossly violated human rights in its struggle. As a result, the ANC was classified by the United States as a terrorist organization, and its members were banned from entering the United States until 2008.
Even more surprisingly, apartheid-era South African laws have become templates for post-9/11 anti-terrorism measures in the United States. However, American
intelligence agencies helped the South African authorities neutralize black terrorists. True, they did this because the latter belonged to the communists. On August 5, 1962, Nelson Mandela, who had already been on the wanted list for 17 months, was stopped by the police while driving a car. He had a passport with him in someone else's name, and this seemed strange to the inspector. In the area where the detainee was taken, it turned out that much more serious crimes were registered behind him.
In 1963, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to five years in prison for organizing a strike and illegally crossing the border. But these were only "flowers". On July 11, 1963, the South African police, on a tip from MI6 and the CIA, arrested several ANC leaders at Lilisleaf Farm. Mandela's notes were also found there. As a result, he was charged with new charges of planning terrorist attacks. Amazingly, Nelson Mandela admitted these accusations at the trial! He only denied the accusation of inviting a foreign army to South Africa.
However, the court found him and the other defendants guilty. According to established practice, they were waiting the death penalty, but on June 12, 1964, it was commuted to life imprisonment. Mandela was sent to serve his sentence on Robben Island off the Cape Good Hope. There were no fences, towers and barking sheep dogs, but escape from here was considered impossible. Unlike the Gulag, political prisoners lived here separately from criminals, although they had fewer rights.
For example, Nelson Mandela received only one visit and one letter for six months. However, this inconvenience was easily overcome with the help of lawyers who secretly carried letters to political prisoners. In addition, in prison, Nelson Mandela was able to receive a diploma from the University of London. According to legend, Nelson Mandela worked hard in a quarry in prison, but, judging by the camp documents, he worked as a cartographer, and in recent years he was completely released from work and transferred to a comfortable cottage.
In 1988, South African President Peter Botha offered him his freedom in exchange for "an unconditional renunciation of violence as a political weapon", but Nelson Mandela rejected this.
offer. Then Nelson was transferred to the Victor-Werster prison, where he awaited release. At that time, South Africa had long been under the pressure of sanctions, and everyone understood that the days of apartheid were numbered.
Finally, on February 11, 1990, the last white president of South Africa, Frederick de Klerk, who is often called the South African Gorbachev, signed a decree legalizing the ANC and releasing Mandela. Four years later, in 1994, the leader of the ANC succeeded de Klerk as president.
The transition to democracy has cost South Africa dearly. During the presidency of Nelson Mandela (1994-1999), the income of South Africans fell by 40%, and the murder rate among "liberated" citizens increased significantly. Moreover, the victims were most often white farmers who gave work to thousands of Africans. Now their farms were being burned, their lands were being emptied. As a result, more than 750 thousand whites left the country. Black racism was no better than white racism.
What did Nelson Mandela, politician and President of South Africa, you will learn from this article.
Nelson Mandela short biography
Where was Nelson Mandela born?
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in the village of Mfezo, South Africa in the family of a member Privy Council the Tembu tribe. He had 3 brothers and 9 sisters. At birth, he was named Holilala, but when he started school, his English teacher gave him a new English name. This is how Nelson Mandela was born.
When he was 7 years old, the family moved to the village of Tsgunu. And two years later, Nelson's father died. While studying at school and college, Mandela became addicted to running and boxing, which he did for the rest of his life. At 21, he was enrolled at the University of Fort Hare, but the future president studied there for only a year.
Mandela moved to Johannesburg in 1941 and got a job first as a watchman at a mine, later as a junior clerk in a law office. Nelson, in parallel with his work, graduated from the University of South Africa in absentia, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree. After he entered the law faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he met his future ministers - Harry Schwartz and Joe Slovo. Also in student years took an active part in meetings of intellectuals of the African National Congress and various rallies. In 1948, Mandela took over as chief secretary of the Afrikaner National Party, and later became president of the Youth League in the African National Congress. The figure organizes a campaign to disobey the authorities and in 1955 convened the Congress of the Free People. Thus began his political career.
What is Nelson Mandela famous for?
Before the presidency of South Africa, he has a long way to go. He was the first to set up a law office providing free services for blacks and compiled a list of the principles of the society of the Republic of South Africa. The "Charter of Freedom" written by him will become the main document in the course of the non-violent struggle against the apartheid regime.
Realizing that nothing could be achieved peacefully, Nelson created a radical organization called Umkhonto We Sizwe. Members of the group staged bombings of military and government facilities. For organizing strikes, Nelson Mandela was sentenced in the fall of 1962 to 5 years in prison. Soon, new charges were brought against him, and the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. In prison statesman was 27 years old. But it was during this time that he became a world celebrity - the slogans "Freedom to Nelson Mandela" were published in the foreign press. The black wrestler even managed to graduate in absentia from the University of London, receiving a bachelor's degree in law.
From the mid-1980s, the government decided to compromise with Nelson Mandela: he was offered freedom if he gave up the fight against apartheid. But the agent did not agree. Only with the coming to power of Frederick Willem de Klerk in 1989, the ban of the African National Congress was lifted, and Mandela was released.
After his release from prison, he began to fight against the government. Thanks to his efforts, in 1994, the first democratic elections in the history of South Africa were held. And Nelson Mandela, typing large quantity votes, became the first black president of South Africa.
During his presidential term, he achieved a lot - free education for children under 14 years old, free medical care for pregnant women and children, increased subsidies for rural residents, introduced laws on land, equality in employment, and the level of qualifications of workers. The Mandela government carried out large-scale work on electrification, telephone installation, construction of clinics, residential buildings and hospitals.
In 1999, Nelson Mandela retired to fight the spread of AIDS. It was produced by open coverage of this problem in South Africa, which is still the leader in the number of deaths from this disease.
Nelson Mandela's life was filled not only state activities. He wrote a number of publications and autobiographies - "I'm ready to die", " Long road to freedom”, “Talking with myself”, “Struggle is my life”.
In the summer of 2013, the figure goes to the hospital, the old prison lung disease has worsened. Here he stayed until September. His condition was stably critical. In November, Mandela's health deteriorated significantly and the former president was connected to an artificial respiration apparatus. Despite the efforts of doctors, the inevitable happened: the day Nelson Mandela died was December 5, 2013. He was 95 years old.
Personal life of Nelson Mandela
The President of South Africa has been married three times. He first married Evelyn Makaziva in 1944. 4 children were born in the marriage - daughters Makaziva Mandela, Pumla Makaziva and sons Magkaho Levanika and Madiba Tembekile. They separated in 1958. The second wife was Winnie Dlamini, with whom he married in 1958. She bore him 2 more daughters, Zinji and Zenani. The last companion of life was Graça Machel. They got married in 1998.
How will Nelson Mandela be remembered?
Editorial responseIn South Africa on the night of December 5-6, 2013, Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela. Millions of people will remember him as the man who defeated apartheid peacefully. He became an outstanding political figure who made a huge contribution to world democracy and the fight for human rights. AiF.ru has prepared 10 main facts from the life of the legendary fighter against the regime of racial segregation.
1. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in the village of Mwezo near the city of Umata in South Africa. He came from the Xhosa people and was a representative of the younger branch of the Tembu dynasty, which ruled in one of the regions of South Africa. At the age of nine, Mandela lost his father, he had twelve sisters and brothers by his father. The regent Jongintaba became his guardian.
2. When Mandela was born, he was originally given the name Holilala. When he went to Methodist primary school, the teacher in the European manner began to call him Nelson. Nelson Mandela continued his studies at the Clarkbury Boarding Institute, and then at the Methodist College in Fort Beaufort.
3. In 1939, Mandela entered the University of Fort Hare. It was the only university in South Africa that admitted non-whites. However, Mandela soon took part in a student strike and left the walls of the university. After that, the regent Jongintaba tried to arrange two weddings - to forcefully marry Mandela and his son. However, young people were not going to marry anyone and fled to Johannesburg. There, Mandela first worked as a security guard at a mine, and then as a clerk in a law firm, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in absentia from the University of South Africa. He then studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, but never graduated.
From Clint Eastwood to Barack Obama, from Pope Francis to Mikhail Gorbachev, everyone admired him. And today, on the birthday of Nelson Mandela, the site has collected several quotes and facts from the biography of this amazing man, politician, freedom fighter.
1. The man who changed the world grew up in a small African village and was the only member of his family to receive an education. His father passed away when Nelson was only 9 years old. He was later adopted by the regent Jongintaba.
“Education is the most powerful weapon with which you can change the world.”
Methodical College class at Fort Beaufort. One of the earliest known photographs of Nelson Mandela, 1937-1938
2. Nelson Mandela's policies have improved and saved millions of lives. During his presidency, 3 million people gained access to a telephone line, power lines and drinking water, 1.5 million children were educated. 500 clinics and 750,000 houses were built, providing a roof over the heads of 3 million citizens.
“One of the highest achievements for a man is to do his duty, regardless of the consequences.”
3. In 1944, Nelson Mandela led the African National Congress (ANC) in his struggle for African freedom and racial equality. But in 1962, on charges of treason, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and placed in a Johannesburg prison, where the future president of South Africa spent 27 years of his life.
Nelson Mandela: “I am grateful for the 27 years I spent in prison because it gave me the opportunity to focus. Since I was released, I have lost this opportunity.”
“Never falling down is not the greatest merit in life. The main thing is to get up every time.”
Nelson Mandela, 1960
4. During his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela managed to graduate in absentia from the University of London with a bachelor's degree in law. Later, his candidacy was nominated for the post of honorary rector. In February 1985, South African President Peter Botha offered Mandela release in exchange for "an unconditional renunciation of violence as a political weapon". The revolutionary responded to the proposal with an ultimatum refusal, saying that only free people have the right to negotiate, and not prisoners.
"It's not that hard to change society - it's hard to change yourself."
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, 18 of them in solitary confinement
“No one is born with hatred for another person because of skin color, origin or religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, you should try to teach them love, because love is much closer to the human heart.”.
Nelson Mandela voting in the 1994 election
6. Mandela was a true master of disguise. The black freedom fighter was wanted for 17 months. During this time, he managed to pretend to be a worker, a cook, and when he was arrested, he was in the role of a driver.
"Difficulties and hardships destroy some people, but create others".
Mandela's prison number "46664" - a symbolic number for the fight against HIV
7. Nelson Mandela starred in Spike Lee's 1992 film Malcolm X. He played an elderly Malcolm, but flatly refused to utter the main phrase of an African-American fighter for the rights of black people, and the director had to cut off a key monologue in the film.
“A bright head and a bright heart always make a formidable combination. And when you add a sharp tongue or a pencil to it, you get something explosive. ”.
8. After the 54-year-old son of Nelson Mandela McGaho died of AIDS, the political leader urged the African public to treat this disease as an "ordinary" disease and stop the persecution of HIV-infected people.
“We must use time wisely and remember: a just cause can be started at any moment”.
Nelson Mandela: "Freedom cannot be partial"
9. African silk Madiba shirts became popular all over the world thanks to Nelson Mandela. The shirts were named after the politician's clan and designed by Dezre Buirsky.
"If you have a dream, nothing will stop you from making it come true as long as you don't give up".
Children sing congratulation songs to Nelson Mandela, July 18, 2013
