Mark Swilling

Philip Frankel

Noam Pines

Originally published in 1988, this book describes and analyses the factors that were operative in South Africa during the 1980s, at a time when Apartheid was under intense pressure. It focuses not only on the central arenas of political action, but also on the non-institutional arenas which were increasingly the central forums of political action. Organised around the three linked themes of state action, popular opposition and possible alternatives, the work examines the manner in which such key institutions such as government, business and the military responded to Apartheid in its crisis as well as the role of the ANC, the black trade unions, Inkatha and community movements in the townships. The final section deals with the South African left and the Freedom Charter.

State, Resistance and Change in South Africa

Soldiers in a Storm: The Armed Forces in South Africa's Democratic Transition is a study of the role of the military in the creation and development of South Africa's new post-apartheid system. Philip Frankel asserts that the armed forces played a far greater role in the end of apartheid than is currently acknowledged in the literature, and that the relatively peaceful negotiations that ended apartheid would not have been possible without the participation of the South African National Defense Force and two major liberation armies.Frankel also examines the topics of military disengagement, civilianization, post-authoritarian political behavior on the part of militaries, and the process of democratic consolidation. He also discusses how many of these themes have been explored in the context of Latin America, and he points out that this is the only book that places these themes within the context of South Africa. This is an important case study with universal implications.

Philip Frankel

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