Apartheid's Last Stand: The Rise and Fall of the South African Security State

Apartheid's Last Stand is an original study which sets out to demonstrate how and why the apartheid state was neither able to maintain white dominance of the political system nor capable of reforming itself. The book's central argument is that the South African government consciously developed and introduced a programme of limited reforms in accordance with the guiding principles of counter-revolutionary strategy and the so-called 'liberal' vision of apartheid. Rejected by the majority of South Africans, President P.W. Botha nonetheless doggedly pursued state-managed reform through the imposition of stringent security measures to combat dissent at home and isolation abroad. The ensuing stalemate between South African government and the forces of revolution was only overcome with the ousting of military influence in South Africa and the ending of the Cold War. These circumstances laid the foundation for the reconciliation between Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, giving birth to a new democratic South Africa.

Table of Contents:
Introduction The Rise and Crisis of Apartheid Total Onslaught and Total Strategy: The Military Response to Crisis From Military Doctrine to Reform Apartheid, 1978-80 The Security State and the Implementation of Reform Apartheid, 1979-84 Reform Apartheid in the Eye of the Storm, 1984-86 The Security State and the Forces of Revolution, 1986-88 Conclusion Bibliography Index

About the Author :
CHRIS ALDEN is Lecturer in International Relations, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Review :
'Displays originality, coherent theoretical framework and meticulous scholarship...[and is] very well-written and highly readable. [It] will become essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of the transition period.' - International Affairs 'Reading Alden's book is indispensable for all those who want to understand this crucial South African period [in history]. Not only because the author studies the complexities of this ' end of reign' in a brilliant fashion but also because he deploys political analysis which advisedly makes use of the theoretical model proposed in the introduction...At a time when it is respectable to simplify in the extreme what has happened in South Africa, let us salute the publication of a subtle and fine book; a book which demonstrates that for a good explanation there is no need to simplify.' - Politique Africaine 'It deserves to become a standard text for students of the period, but it should also appeal to South Africans who seek an explanation for apartheid's long goodbye.' - South African Journal of International Relations 'It combines an incisive analytical treatment alongside a thorough account of recent political history and succeeds at both the specialist and general level in accounting for the ubiquitous influence of the security forces in policy making.' - Third World Quarterly