Was Nelson Mandela a freedom fighter?

Question

I've read his book and think he might be, but what do you think? Lived in SA as a kid everyone at the time said he was a terrorist? If Yes, why? If No, why? x

Answer 1

No!

Nelson Mandela was a dirty, lousy communist b*stard! He should be tossed back into a jail cell for life.

In a speech Mandela praised one of the world's worst murdering tyrants, "Long live the Cuban Revolution. Long live comrade Fidel Castro"

His ex-wife Winnie Mandela, whom he quickly jettisoned when it became clear she was a considerable embarassment to his political career, is a self-confessed advocate of terrorism and violence and has even committed murder.

Here is a picture of Comrade Mandela and the South African Communist Party

Bekah: Oh pu-leeez! Take your head out of your rear end! "Amazing" huh? I bet you think Hitler was just dandy? Hitler tried to "do something for society" too. Blacks are in power now...so tell me, have things improved or worsened?
And "communism is not all bad"? Really?! You have a lot to learn, apparently
http://www.victimsofcommunism.org/history_communism.php

Answer 2

Yes, he was a freedom fighter. He turned to violence only after realising that endless years of peaceful protest could not end the illegal and immoral system of apartheid in SA.

When he was released by DeKlerk from after 26 years in prison, he pledged to work toward reconciliation, but wisely did not promise to give up the armed campaign of the ANC.

After many setbacks, minority rule was finally dismantled, mostly due to the efforts of Mandela and the ANC.

BTW, the ANC, for the most part, went after hard targets, but Mr. Mandela openly acknowledges they sometimes were guilty of human rights violations - he does not attempt to pretend that did not happen.

Quasar, we've have much contact with Mr. Mandela throughout the years, as our struggles have been similar - so, in this case, is not based on 'book learning'.

Answer 3

Mandela was a terrorist like most people who come to power in the African country's, he nearly wiped out the opposing tribe, how any one can see him as a peace lover or a good man i will never know,its only because he is an old man that he is for peace now,he should of been shot years ago,

Answer 4

Nelson Mandela was definitely a terrorist. Those were the charges he was in prison for. But if people supported him, then to them, he was a freedom fighter. He was responsible for blowing up buildings, railways etc.and was responsible for hundreds of Deaths. That is a fact.

Answer 5

You must know the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter first. Ready?

When you are winning, the others are terrorists. Once you lose, they become freedom fighters. Got it?

Answer 6

I don't think they are mutually exclusive. Freedom fighting is an intention - you try to free your people or whatever. Terrorism is a methodology - you target civilians/non-combatants to accomplish political goals.
This distinction is important. If we see freedom-fighting and terrorism as mutually exclusive, then we have to condemn a terrorist's cause, along with his actions. This is silly - during WW2 the French resistance sometimes used terrorism to undermine the Nazi occupation/Vichy puppet gov't. We need to be able to say that even though they shouldn't kill civilians, they were right to be resisting Nazism.

To specifically answer your question:
He is a freedom fighter. IDK if he was a terrorist, but I think not. My understanding is that the resistance movement used violence against the South African military and police apparatus but not against civilians. If so, it wasn't terrorist. Even if the resistance sometimes used violence against civilians, Mandela's resistance 'faction' may not have. If it did, then he would be a terrorist as well as a freedom fighter.

"Stupid Marxist's" response is also indicative of why we need to distinguish between motive and method. He wasn't a freedom fighter...because he praised communism? I don't understand how praising communism is comparative to what he did to end apartheid.

Answer 7

back then that was the official line at the time of apartheid nelson Mandela was not recognized then as an advocate for equality Nelson Mandela was called a terrorist as whether he was i do not think this was the case at the time certainly Nelson Mandela is an esteemed example of someone who stood up for human rights the other example would be Martin Luther King also i read somewhere Nelson Mandela and his African Congress were not recognized by the apartheid regime and the African Congress was called a terrorist group

Answer 8

The methods he and the ANC used were based on terror principals to over come the white minority rule. How do we determine who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter. I think personally if an organisation goes out of its way to kill or maim Innocent people.

Answer 9

He is called a freedom fighter because his side won. Likewise Che Gevara is called a terrorist because his side lost.

Same as mad king Geo III was mad because he lost. We had not quite gotten around to the word terrorist them days.

Answer 10

Murder is murder,terrorist is a terrorist even one who wears a suit.These people exist all over the world Gerry Adams,Bin Laden all apologists for terror.Its a pity no one remembers the innocent victims.So no he was not a freedom fighter.

Answer 11

He was a freedom fighter. Why? Because he WON. Politically, all that matters is winning. When you win, you write the history books, so the winners are ALWAYS good, wise, and RIGHT.