Nelson Mandela Research Paper

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How Did Nelson Mandela Devote His Life to a Better Government?
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalized racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. "Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress from 1991 to 1997" (WikiPedia, Nelson Mandela, 2014). Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999. Mandela devoted his entire life to trying to make the world a better place.
"A Xhosa born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law"(WikiPedia, Nelson Mandela, 2014). Living in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics, joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League. While working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. Influenced by Marxism, he secretly joined the South African Communist Party and sat on its Central Committee. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961, leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. In 1962, he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the state, and sentenced to life...

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...as a lawyer rather than become a privy councilor in Thembuland. He later stated that he experienced no epiphany, but that he "simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise."
As you see, from a very young age Mandela decided that he was going to devote his life to making the world a better place. He put all of his time and energy into building a foundation of proper education in order to carry out this goal of his. His cultural background also helped him empathize with the people he was fighting for. This is just the beginning of the things Nelson Mandela accomplished throughout his lifetime. Although he was a controversial figure in history, he truly made an impact on people across the world. No matter where you go, people know his name. It wasn't until December 5, 2013 - the day of his death - that he ever gave up trying to make peace with the world.

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