World History Moment: South African Elections
World History Moment: South African Elections
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South Africa’s first ever election with universal suffrage was held on April 27, 1994.
It was the product of a long battle, starting with the abolition of the policy of apartheid that the South African government adopted in 1948.
Historian John R. Schmidt tells us how the country avoided a civil war and elected its first black president, Nelson Mandela.