Saving Nelson Mandela: The Rivonia Trial and the Fate of South Africa (Pivotal Moments in World History) - Softcover

Broun, Kenneth S.

4.17

35 ratings by Goodreads

9780199361281: Saving Nelson Mandela: The Rivonia Trial and the Fate of South Africa (Pivotal Moments in World History)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199361282 ISBN 13: 9780199361281

Publisher: OUP USA, 2015

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The question was: would he hang?

In 1963, when South Africa's apartheid government charged Nelson Mandela with planning its overthrow, most observers feared that he would be sentenced to death. But the support he and his fellow activists in the African National Congress received during his trial not only saved his life, but also enabled him to save his country.

In Saving Nelson Mandela, South African law expert Kenneth S. Broun recreates the trial―called the "Rivonia" Trial after the Johannesburg suburb where police seized Mandela. Based upon interviews with many of the case's primary figures and portions of the trial transcript, Broun situates readers inside the courtroom at the imposing Palace of Justice in Pretoria. Here, the trial unfolds through a dramatic narrative that captures the courage of the accused and their defense team, as well as the personal prejudices that colored the entire trial. The Rivonia trial had no jury and only a superficial aura of due process, combined with heavy security that symbolized the apartheid government's system of repression. Broun shows how outstanding advocacy, combined with widespread public support, in fact backfired on apartheid leaders, who sealed their own fate.

Despite his 27-year incarceration, Mandela's ultimate release helped move his country from the racial tyranny of apartheid toward democracy. As documented in this inspirational book, the Rivonia trial was a critical milestone that helped chart the end of Apartheid and the future of a new South Africa.

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Review:

An astonishing tale of the defendants' personal courage...Tactics, skill, strategy, diplomacy and legal maneuver pervade Saving Nelson Mandela. Still, bold, breathtaking human bravery swamps all. I'm guessing Professor Broun wouldn't have it any other way. (Charlotte News and Observer)

A taut, intelligent analysis of a dramatic turning point in South African and, indeed, world history. (Kirkus Reviews)

Kenneth Broun does justice indeed to one of the most celebrated political trials of the 20th century...the result is not only a gripping story but a work of profound scholarship, sensitivity, and empathy. (Mark Gevisser, author of A Legacy of Liberation)

Part history, part sociology, part engrossing legal drama, this important book recounts a seminal moment in South Africa's history. (Penelope Andrews, City University of New York School of Law)

In this magnificent book, [Kenneth S. Broun] draws on his experience and expertise to bring to life the events and personalities of the 1963-64 Rivonia Trial...Meticulously documented and dramatically narrated, Broun's book makes a unique contribution to our understand of South Africa and the struggle for human rights. (Michael E. Tigar, Duke Law School)

A well-written account of an important moment in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa... a valuable resource for course use, not only in legal history in Africa, but for courses on the role of law in social change. (Mary Dudziak, author of War Time)

About the Author:

Kenneth S. Broun is the Henry Brandis Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of North Carolina Law School. Since 1986, he has traveled regularly to South Africa to conduct programs in trial advocacy training through the Black Lawyers Association of South Africa.

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