Nelson Mandela Research Paper

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"Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people." Those were the words of Nelson Mandela, one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, Mandela was best known for his efforts to end apartheid, a racial system that separated groups of individuals by race and deprived people of color from full citizenship. (http://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2014/01/24/leadership-traits-in-nelson-mandela/) As the first black president of South America, he was an international advocate for human rights. Mandela helped to unite South Africa as it dismantled apartheid, the cruel system of white minority rule. He symbolized for all of Africa a commitment to democracy and freedom. …show more content…

http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/?p=477 For 20 years, Mandela directed peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged with treason for their political advocacy. http://www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017#mandelas-imprisonment
Inspired by Gandhi’s successful opposition to British colonial rule in India, Mandela was at first highly committed to non-violence. But the government’s harsh measures against non-violent opposition drew him over time into various forms of targeted sabotage, resulting in numerous arrests. In 1961, Mandela co-founded a militant wing, in partnership with the South African Communist Party, and was eventually convicted of treason and sentenced him to life in prison. …show more content…

Through his Reconstruction and Development Plan, the South African government funded the creation of jobs, housing and basic health care. In 1996, Mandela signed into law a new constitution for the nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule, and guaranteeing both the rights of minorities and the freedom of expression. By the 1999 general election, Nelson Mandela had retired from active politics. He continued to maintain a busy schedule, however, raising money to build schools and clinics in South Africa's rural heartland through his foundation, and serving as a mediator in Burundi's civil war. He also published a number of books on his life and struggles, among them No Easy Walk to Freedom; Nelson Mandela: The Struggle is my Life; and Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales.
Mandela was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2001. In June 2004, at the age of 85, he announced his formal retirement from public life and returned to his native village of

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