Focusing on the comprehensive history of the Afrikaner people, this biography critically examines recent scholarly work while incorporating the author's own research and interviews with key political figures. Hermann Giliomee skillfully intertwines personal narratives with analytical insights, resulting in an engaging and accessible narrative that sheds light on the complexities of Afrikaner identity and history.
"Hermann Giliomee, internationally renowned historian, tells the dramatic story of the group that came to call themselves the Afrikaners. This shorter, updated version of his masterly The Afrikaners: Biography of a People recounts a colourful history of survival against the odds, and eventual political surrender. Upon publication, The Afrikaners received numerous awards and international accolades. The British Sunday Times called it 'fascinating and unmissable'; the Financial Times 'without equal'; and The Economist picked it as one of its books of the year. This new, concise version retains the essence of the longer academic work, while recreating the past with all its irony and drama in a lively narrative form. Many aspects of South Africa's contentious history are freshly examined, leaving readers with new, often challenging perspectives."--Page 4 of cover
Acclaimed historian Hermann Giliomee explains the dramatic ascent - and possible demise - of a small minority group that dominated 20th-century South Africa. The Afrikaners are unique in the world in that they successfully mobilised ethnic entrepreneurship without state assistance, controlled the government for almost 50 years, and then yielded power without military defeat. Giliomee takes a hard, analytical look at the Afrikaners' fortunes over the past 100 years. Topics range from political parties' use of the 'coloured vote', ethnic entrepreneurship, 'Bantu education', and the Rubicon speech to Nelson Mandela's relationship with the last Afrikaner leaders. Finally, he examines the most likely future for this contentious group and the nature of its imprint on South Africa.
This book studies apartheid--its background, ideology, implementation, and function--and reform-apartheid, the South African government's latest solution to the continuing crisis. Part One demonstrates that the apartheid system was not unique; rather, that it was built upon the segregation order which had developed as South Africa industrialized with the discovery of diamonds and gold. Part Two critically examines the current South African situation and addresses possibilities for a resolution to the present conflict. The authors explore the emerging political trends, the effects of the sanctions campaign, the prospects for an internationally backed settlement, and the effects of internal pressure for change. Drawing on available literature, the authors then propose a framework for resolution.
Hermann Giliomee, pre-eminent South African historian, dissects the forces that shaped the Afrikaners into an unusual 'maverick African' nation. In part one of this collection, he analyses long-term forces like the powerful legal position of Afrikaner women, the expanding frontier that gave rise to individualism and later to republicanism, and the struggles about race inside the Dutch Reformed Church. The second part examines controversial aspects of more recent Afrikaner political history, including the alleged civil service purges after 1948, Nationalist corruption, the Absa 'Lifeboat' and the quality of Afrikaner leadership. Finally, there is a chapter on the "broken heart" of the Afrikaner community.