An Examination of Conflict and Development in the Global South - Essay Example

?An examination of conflict and development in the Global South – Case Study “South Africa” Table of Contents Introduction 3 History of South Africa Colonisation 3 Political System 5 Demographics 8 Developments 10 Conflicts 11 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 13 Introduction The research paper deals with the country of South Africa. In a nutshell, it can be said that the paper comprises of in-depth analysis of history, political system, demography and development of South Africa. The paper also focuses upon various conflicts that the country faced over the period of time. It is a thorough examination of conflict and development of the nation. 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 routes 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 over 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 decolonisation 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 independence had adopted multiparty government system from the UK and the French government system. This was due to the colonial effect of the British and French upon South Africa. During 1960s only few countries of Africa maintained the multiparty system. However, by 1970, more than half of the self-governing countries of Africa was ruled and controlled under the military government system (Michigan State University, 2011). The African government was weak in the political system administration since it had inherited weak political system from the colonial rule. They did not have the capacity to rule efficiently and due to this the military leaders took over the control (Michigan State University, 2011). The underdeveloped economic situation made the political party weak to control the people and they were unable to provide the basic facilities to the people. The inability of the government was seen and people were against it. Consequently, the military leaders were forced to take control over the situation and this is how they came into existence (Michigan State University, 2011). In the post-colonisation era of nearly thirty years, more than half of the countries of Africa were under the military control and only Botswana had maintained a multiparty system. In 1960s and 1970s, these countries formed a single part system to form the government. According to the constitution of Africa there were two types of ‘single party system’. Certain countries of Africa became ‘de jure single party states’. They altered their constitutions to permit only one political party in the country to govern. Other countries of Africa became ‘de facto single party states’. They did not alter the constitution to mandate one party, but the monopoly powers were under the ruling parties and subjugated all branches of the government (Michigan State University, 2011). The current President of South Africa is Mr. Jacob Zuma and he is the leader of African National Congress. After the election of South Africa in the year 2009, Jacob Zuma came into power as the President of the country (BBC, 2010). President Jacob Zuma had focused on the issue of job creation process for the year 2011. He had announced various initiatives for the job creation that also includes investment of more than R$ 9 million for boosting the job creation. He has addressed the year 2011 as the ‘year of job creation’ (Big Media, 2011). International community viewed the political state of South Africa in regard to the discrimination laws. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) also provides importance and rights to the labour forces (International Labour Office & League of Nations, 1992). Demographics South Africa is located at the Southern tip of Africa. It is the zone where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. The geographic coordinates are 29 00 S, 24 00 E (Saundry, 2010). South Africa’s climate has a changing phenomenon due to its diverse geographical location. During summer the temperature can reach 30 degree Celsius and in winters the temperature rarely goes below zero. Towards the coast lines the wind is cool and the temperature is low (Immigration South Africa, 2011). South Africa’s area is approximately ‘1,219,912 km2 including Prince Edward Islands’. Arable land is 12%, permanent crops land is 0.79% and others 87.11% according to 2005 data (Saundry, 2010). The population of South Africa is 43,786,115 (2008 estimation). The growth rate of population according to 2008 was -0.501%. Birth rate is 17.71 births/1,000 population and death rate: 22.7 deaths/1,000 population. The age structure is listed below: ‘0-14 years: 28.6% (male 6,295,422/female 6,219,283) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 14,114,838/female 14,737,791) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 927,932/female 1,490,849)’ (Saundry, 2010). Christianity was the religion that influenced the South African people, who were especially influenced by the Dutch colonisation (Country Studies US, 2011). South Africa’s race consisted of ‘coloured category’ people, i.e. referred to the people who were neither black, called Bantus nor white, called European. This people brought different cultural forms to the country (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011). Developments Natural resources such as diamond, gold and minerals are famous in South Africa. Sustainable land and minerals development have been initiated in the region through communities and small-scale mining. Freshwater resources are being developed. Regional as well as national initiatives are taken up for developments (UNECA, 2010). The GDP has expanded 4.4% by the end of 2010. The data is listed below in figure 1 Figure 1: GDP Growth (Trading Economics, 2011). The national debt in 2009 was 29.7% of GDP that rose to 33.2% of GDP in 2010. In comparison to other countries it ranks 88 in the world according to 2010 estimation (CIA, 2011). Out of 169 nations, South Africa ranked 110 in Human Development Index (HDI) in the year 2010. Previously it ranked 129 out of 189 nations ‘year-on-year’. It is a slow developing nation (Big Media, 2011). There are strong trade relationships of South Africa with the European Unions, Russian Federation, Iran, Israel, Bulgaria, Algeria, Sweden, Libya, Morocco, Mexico, the Netherlands, Italy, Tunisia, Mauritania, Singapore, Thailand and many other countries for trade (Country Studies US, 2011). In the year 1994, ‘South Africa became the 11th member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’. Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) was developed in 1979 for economic balance in South Africa. The country became the member of South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone in 1994. In the same year they had joined the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) (Country Studies US, 2011). Conflicts South Africa had conflicts with the Dutch and the Britishers. They colonised the areas of South Africa and in order to regain their political and economical power they were in war with them. With the increase in the multiparty and single party system, they fought against the rule and after 1910 they got their independence from the British government. This took place with the help of decolonisation process. The trade relationship with several nations with the resource of gold, diamonds and natural minerals assisted the development of South Africa in the global market. Its strength lies in the natural resources of the nation and the trading activities. The political stability and the weak political structuring is the weakness of South Africa. It needs more development. Conclusion The colonisation affect is still seen in the race and the culture of the people. The era of colonisation was harsh for the South African people who were victimised of discrimination and labor force movements. After the independence, the nation has developed and is still continuing to grow in its contribution towards the world’s GDP. There have been several changes that have led to development of South Africa and assisted for the achievement of economic and political stability. Bibliography Brownfield, J., 2011. Britain in Africa. Chico Unified School District. [Online] Available at: http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/imperialism/brownfield.htm [Accessed March 15, 2011]. BBC, 2010. South Africa Country Profile. Overview. 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Background Note: South Africa. Republic of South Africa. [Online] Available at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2898.htm [Accessed March 15, 2011]. UNECA, 2010. Natural Resource Base of Economic and Social Development. Publications. [Online] Available at: http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/publications/books/sdra/chap5.pdf [Accessed March 15, 2011]. Verstraelen, F. J., 2002. Contrasting Aspects of African Decolonisation Processes and Missions in West and Southern Africa: Ghana and Angola as Case Studies. University of Zimbabwe. [Online] Available at: http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/African%20Journals/pdfs/Journal%20of%20the%20University%20of%20Zimbabwe/vol29n1/juz029001005.pdf [Accessed March 15, 2011]. Read More