Global South (South Africa) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global South (South Africa) - Essay Example History of South Africa Colonisation The term ‘Colonialism’ is referred to a practice of domination that entails the subjugation of one group of people to another. It also refers to political and economic control over the dependent territory (Stanford University, 2006). According to McMichael, colonialism is the subjugation by psychological and physical strength of one culture by a colonising control through the means of military conquest of territory or areas and abolition of native people and their cultures (University of Kentucky, 2009). The essay looks at various aspects of South Africa from the point of view of international studies. The study will cover the history of colonisation of South Africa along with political system, demographics of South Africa. Development of South Africa along with the various conflicts that the country has seen will be observed in the essay. The British had colonised South Africa due to their trade interests, strategic ports and the rou tes towards their Asian colonies i.e. to fulfill their political objectives. The effect of colonisation was seen in early 1870s and in the year 1875, Cape of South Africa was colonised (Brownfield, 2011). The colonisation of South Africa by the British people was for the motive of capturing ports routes that they could use for their trade purpose. The other reason was the supply of labour and resources which assisted the British economy to grow. Prior to the colonial power of the British over South Africa, the Dutch had colonised the area. In the year 1652 the Dutch first colonised South Africa and in the same year the legal system was implemented. In 1488, the Dutch people first reached South Africa and colonisation began in 1652. The Dutch East India Company appointed Jan Van Riebeeck to establish a station in the Cape of Good Hope which was established but later found problems. They then colonised the area for their benefit. The Dutch defeated the Xhosa tribe and took control ove r them in the first war. Later another war was fought between them and this resulted in Dutch losing its control over them and then the British took over the control. In the year 1806, the British took over the control from the Dutch in Cape of Good Hope (Drumstruck, n.d.). Even after the Zulu War and two Anglo-Boer wars, the colony was under the British rule. The African National Congress was created in 1912 and they came into power in 1994 when the first elections were held (US Department of States, 2010). Independence from the British rule was achieved in the year 1910. But still there were elections that were controlled by the British people. In the year 1990, Nelson Mandela was released and there was first democratic election in April 1994 under the constitution of South Africa (Michigan State University, 2011). The process of decolonisation takes place when former colonies and non-self governing territories become the self-governing state (Garoupa & Gata, 2000). The decolonisa tion process of South Africa was primarily based upon the methods of the British government that transferred the power in order to maintain stable democracies. There were several controversies in the decolonisation process. However, the transfer of the power to the national party of South Africa made the process quicker and thereby resulting in the end of the colonial rule (Verstraelen, 2002). Political System South Africa, when gained its