Product Description

'A remarkable feat of scholarship, fairness and readability, full of lively detail with a freshness of style which brings new life to the narrative' Anthony Sampson Throughout its turbulent history, South Africa has frequently been the focus of worldwide attention -- usually hostile. Yet prejudice and ignorance about the country are widespread. The evolution of the present-day 'Rainbow Nation' has taken place under conditions of sometimes extreme pressure. Since long before the arrival of the first European settlers in the seventeenth century, the country has been home to a complex and uneasily co-existing blend of races and cultures, and successive waves of immigrants have added to the already volatile mixture. Despite the euphoria which greeted the dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as President of Nelson Mandela in April 1994, South Africa's history, racial mix and recent political upheavals suggest it will not easily free itself from the legacy of its tumultuous past. Newly revised and updated, Frank Welsh's vividly written, even-handed and authoritative history casts new light on many of South Africa's most cherished myths. Like his A History of Hong Kong, it will surely come to be regarded as definitive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57830 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

Review
'A masterly synthesis of past and present scholarship historical storytelling in the grand narrative tradition' Mail & Guardian 'Sweeping, exhaustive and masterly' Scotland on Sunday 'Excellent! a balanced account of a very complex story' Stephen Fleming, Irish Independent 'Vital to an understanding of modern South Africa' Publishers Weekly 'His assessments are judicious, his opinions fair. Welsh maintains a clear narrative thread through this hugely complex story' Stephen Taylor, New York Times Book Review

About the Author
Frank Welsh read History at Cambridge, then worked in banking and industry, including service on the boards of nationalised industries and on the Royal Commission into the NHS. His books include The Profit of the State, Uneasy City and The Companion Guide to the Lake District.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating history of �such a tumultuous land�
I picked up this book fascinated to know more of the country for which all I really knew of was apartheid and the Boer War. The history of South Africa is indeed a huge subject and well worth the 500 page read of this book. Welsh describes the initial settlements in South Africa, both British and Dutch and how control of the various colonies changed hands frequently before the Boer War. He then describes (not in a huge amount of detail I was pleased to note) the Boer War itself and the politics that took place after it. This then leads into the apartheid system and finally to the racially free elections which Nelson Mandela won.

What I found fascinating about this book was the racist views which were ingrained into the settlers of 19th century South Africa. I had never appreciated how far back the beliefs of separating black people from white people went. I had also never appreciated how many wars took place in South Africa during that time.

As a book to read cover to cover, this isn't that easy a book to follow with enough people to warrant a reference at the back. However, other than this Welsh does a fine job of keeping the reader intrigued. His writing is somewhat colloquial at times (giving his opinion on people which really shouldn't find its place in a history book) but his in depth research on the subject shines through. Definitely recommended.

A good effort
Biased, unobjective, sneering, superior, too politically correct. Filled with an author's bitchy comments (which should not be present in a history book - eg "fat and pathetic...")But crafted with considerable effort and research. Still the only compact, almost readable book for a first time visitor to the beautiful and maligned land of South Africa.

Mudslinging
Trite mudslinging. Once again some one can make a quick buck by picturing Afrikaners as neanderthals.... and riding the wave of emotive and cliched argumentation. The book falls flat when it becomes obvious that the author is writing a political doctrine rather and historical overview of South Africa