The Sharpeville Massacre, Violence, and the Struggles of the African National Congress, 1960-1990

Authors

Reese W. Hollister, Manhattan CollegeFollow

Abstract

During the long process of decolonization in South Africa, the Sharpeville Massacre was a turning point for the African National Congress' decision to begin using violence for the internal resistance to apartheid. Nelson Mandela and the ANC reacted to the Sharpeville Massacre by shifting their methods to incorporate the practicality of anti-colonial violence. In his 1964 "I Am Prepared to Die" speech, Mandela acknowledged that peaceful resistance was met with brutal force, and this could not go on. The ANC continued its strong non-violent resistance while also developing a military wing and conducting sabotage. This essay brings into question the realities of non-violence in the face of violent oppression.

First Page

62

Last Page

75

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Hollister, Reese W. (2023) "The Sharpeville Massacre, Violence, and the Struggles of the African National Congress, 1960-1990," Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 5.
DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2023.130105
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol13/iss1/5