The Cambridge History of South Africa: Volume 2, 1885–1994

Book excerpt: This book surveys South African history from the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand in the late nineteenth century to the first democratic elections in 1994. Written by many of the leading historians of the country, it pulls together four decades of scholarship to present a detailed overview of South Africa during the twentieth century. It covers political, economic, social and intellectual developments and their interconnections in a clear and objective manner. This book, the second of two volumes, represents an important reassessment of all the major historical events, developments and records of South Africa and will be an important new tool for students and professors of African history worldwide, as well as the basis for further development and research.