How did the ANC strength it's position after the reverses of the early 1970's?

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Difficulties in exile

  • The ANC were operating underground in the 70's so had to find ways to stay relevant to ordinary South Africans 
  • President = Oliver Tambo 
  • In the 60's, they established offices abroad - London was important 
  • Within Africa - Tanzania and Zambia were important 
  • Mk moved into Zambia  
  • Mk had two main military excursions from here; Wankie (1967) and Sipolio (1968) 
  • Wankie; 50 guerrillas (inc Chris Hani) tried to create a through route to SA. Stopped by the Rhodesian gov forces. Retreated into Botswana. 
  • Sipolio; lasted longer but heavy losses. 
  • Chris Hani and younger Mk members who survived the Wankie campaign became critical of the ANC leadership - accused them of 'careerism' and of being middle class 'globe-trotting' bureaucrats. 
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Internal reorganisation and external legitimacy

  • The leadership of Mk responded with some hostility to the accusations from Hani. 
  • Tambo took personal responsibility for the military failings
  • The youth rebels were expelled from the ANC 
  • Tambo resigned but was immediately re-elected 
  • The ANC also decided to admit people of all races - no longer 4 separate congresses. 
  • Movement adopted 'strategy and tactics' document - highlighted the importance of armed struggle but more importantly the need for political leadership, political education and political unity. 
  • Hani and rebels were reinstated 
  • These decisions were influenced but the memorandum from Hani and the Mk 
  • There were still people in the ANC that believed that the movement should remain African 
  • Tennyson Makiwane - started a rival ANC group and attacked Tambo as well as the CP. 
  • Alternative movement quickly died out
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Tambo and the ANC

  • Deeply conscious of the need for unity 
  • Held the ANC's philosophy of non-racialism and worked with exiles from all South African communities 
  • Recognised the importance of the AAM - though independent from the ANC 
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Global AAM

  • No single global organisation - movements were based in individual countries 
  • In the 60's, Britain started to plan boycotts against S.A --> Arts, economic and sporting 
  • Boycotts were usually partial and uneven 
  • In the 70's, they started to bite 
  • SA became more isolated 
  • In 1980, the UN passed a resolution for a comprehensive cultural and academic boycott of SA (supported by the AMM and ANC)
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Sporting boycotts

  • After D'Oliverira in 1968, the issue of race was opened up within sports
  • New campaign called 'Stop the Seventy Tour'
  • Mass demonstrations, pickets of the tourists' hotels, and pitch invasions 
  • Tour was disrupted but not called off 
  • After this, a 1970 cricket tour of a South African team to England was cancelled 
  • South Africa was expelled from international test cricket in the same year. 
  • In 1973, a whites-only South African Rugby team was planning a tour to New Zealand 
  • A movement called Halt All Racist Tours campaigned successfully against the visit and it was cancelled. 
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Economic Boycotts

  • 1970 - conservative government (Heath = PM)
  • Withdrew Britain from the UN arms boycott 
  • Conservative party didn't want to disconnect itself economically from S.A
  • Britain was SA's most important trading partner 
  • During the 70's, the conservatives developed strategies known as 'constructive engagement' 
  • Said that overseas investors should improve their employment practices and then use their influence to improve wages and conditions for black workers in SA 
  • They also said that economic growth would reveal the weaknesses in apartheid and lead to its demise --> as demand for workers increased in the cities, urbanisation would get more difficult to control (companies need more skilled workers - gov would have to relax rules on jobs and race)
  • However, the AAM favoured more systematic disinvestment and boycotts
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