A History of South Africa

by Frank Welsh (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1998

  $7.31

  As it moves uncertainly towards the implementation of a more democratic society, South Africa - as so often in the past - is the focus of worldwide attention. Despite the optimism which followed the dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as president of Nelson Mandela, the country's history, racial mix and rapid recent political changes may yet foreshadow a turbulent future. South Africa is by far the most powerful country on the African continent - whatever happens there will have an impact far beyond its borders. Yet prejudice and ignorance on the subject of South Africa are widespread. Some incidents, especially those of the 19th century, are well-known: the Great Trek, the Jameson Raid, the Boer War. But how many people in the outside world are clear about the differences between Bantus, Zulus and Bushmen? Is it widely known that while the forebearers of F.W. de Clerk lived in what is now South Africa 300 years ago, those of Nelson Mandela did not? And what lies behind the development of the Boers' forceful character and powerful sense of destiny?

• Used

  paperback
  

  $3.36

  `A remarkable feat of scholarship, fairness and readability, full of lively detail with a freshness of style which brings new life to the narrative' Anthony Sampson

  Throughout its turbulent history, South Africa has frequently been the focus of worldwide attention - usually hostile. Yet prejudice and ignorance about the country are widespread. The evolution of the present-day `Rainbow Nation' has taken place under conditions of sometimes extreme pressure. Since long before the arrival of the first European settlers in the seventeenth century, the country has been home to a complex and uneasily co-existing blend of races and cultures, and successive waves of immigrants have added to the already volatile mixture.
  Despite the euphoria which greeted the dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as President of Nelson Mandela in April 1994, South Africa's history, racial mix and recent political upheavals suggest it will not easily free itself from the legacy of its tumultuous past. Newly revised and updated, Frank Welsh's vividly written, even-handed and authoritative history casts new light on many of South Africa's most cherished myths. Like his A History of Hong Kong, it will surely come to be regarded as definitive.

• New

  paperback
  

  $18.69

  `A remarkable feat of scholarship, fairness and readability, full of lively detail with a freshness of style which brings new life to the narrative' Anthony Sampson

  Throughout its turbulent history, South Africa has frequently been the focus of worldwide attention - usually hostile. Yet prejudice and ignorance about the country are widespread. The evolution of the present-day `Rainbow Nation' has taken place under conditions of sometimes extreme pressure. Since long before the arrival of the first European settlers in the seventeenth century, the country has been home to a complex and uneasily co-existing blend of races and cultures, and successive waves of immigrants have added to the already volatile mixture.
  Despite the euphoria which greeted the dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as President of Nelson Mandela in April 1994, South Africa's history, racial mix and recent political upheavals suggest it will not easily free itself from the legacy of its tumultuous past. Newly revised and updated, Frank Welsh's vividly written, even-handed and authoritative history casts new light on many of South Africa's most cherished myths. Like his A History of Hong Kong, it will surely come to be regarded as definitive.