Political Strategies and the State: Some Historical Observations

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Periodical article

Title:	Political Strategies and the State: Some Historical Observations
Authors:	Davis, Dennis Fine, Robert
Year:	1985
Periodical:	Journal of Southern African Studies
Volume:	12
Issue:	1
Period:	October
Pages:	25-48
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	class struggle Politics and Government Ethnic and Race Relations Labor and Employment Law, Human Rights and Violence
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/2636716
Abstract:	According to some exponents of 'periodisation', law and the state define the terrain on which class struggles take place. Within the history of apartheid they argue that there have been three periods, each characterized by a definite form of state: the period 1948-1961, 1961-1973 and 1973 to the present. This paper suggests an alternative to this mode of analysis since, beneath the seemingly natural and rational character of the liberation movement's strategies, definite political choices were at stake, the origins and effects of which require explanation. To this end, the authors explore three important moments in the post-war struggle: the miners' strike of 1946, the election strike of 1958 and the turn to armed struggle. Notes.