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Globalization in South Afria

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Submitted By mzakaria
Words 1338
Pages 6
Globalization in South Africa

Regarding the globalization of South Africa, the lifting of the apartheid policy caused a dramatic shift in the both the political and economic policies of the nation. Furthermore, this was absolutely pivotal to the growth and progression of a nation that has now become a major emerging market and one of the world’s largest exporters of metals and minerals. South Africa is a country located on the southern tip of Africa. South Africa has had a long history of colonialism under both the British and the Dutch. The discovery of diamonds and gold in this region spurred the development of the area and immigration to the region while suppressing its native populations. And while the control the empires retained over their colonies was crumbling, South Africa as a colony did as well. It was granted independence in 1931, but when the Nationalist Party took power in 1948, it strengthened the segregationist policies that were established under colonial rule. South Africa finally achieved a full democracy with the elections of 1994, the first time the black population was allowed to vote, bringing the African National Congress (ANC) to power with Nelson Mandela as its leader. This officially brought an end to apartheid and marked the beginning of new era for the country. Although South Africa was formally granted independence in 1931, the South Africa that we know today didn’t exist until early 1990’s when apartheid was lifted. The policy of apartheid significantly hindered South Africa’s ability to develop and closed itself off from globalization. Import substitutions and high tariff barriers helped compensate those businesses whose costs were raised by apartheid policies (Dawson). Whether or not, the nation was trying to resist globalization, it was doing so as a result of its domestic social policy. However, when the ANC took

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