Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid is discrimination based on race and the color of skin. Until 1991 the White government of South Africa ran a system of apartheid whereby Black people were given less access to employment, health and education and were kept separate from the White population. South African blacks were segregated into reserves known as ‘homelands’ and subjected to residential and occupational restrictions. Apartheid was maintained by a wide range of laws that included the prohibition of inter-racial sexual intercourse or marriage and outlawed racially integrated political and social organizations.
Nelson Mandela was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. He was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress. He spent 27 years in prison on convictions for crimes that included sabotage committed while he tried to end apartheid. Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, he became a symbol of freedom and equality.

African Independence

Like the Asian countries, the countries of Africa were unwilling to return to colonial domination after World War II.Between the two world wars, an educated middle class had begun to emerge in African cities. French-speaking Africans and West Indians began to express their growing sense of black consciousness and pride in traditional Africa. They formed the Negritude movement—a movement to celebrate African culture, heritage, and values.
The British colony of the Gold Coast became the first African colony south of the Sahara to achieve independence.On receiving its independence in 1957, the Gold Coast took the name Ghana. Ghana became the first nation governed by black Africans
to join the British Commonwealth. Kwame Nkrumah became Ghana’s first prime minister and later its president for life. Nkrumah pushed through expensive development plans and economic projects, new roads, new schools, and expanded health facilities.
Mau Mau, was a secret society made up mostly of Kikuyu farmers forced out of tge highlands by the British. Their aim was primarily to frighten the white farmers into leaving the highlands.
On 1955, most of the countries in Africa were colonies, after 1975, most of these colonies became independent countries.

The Cuban Missiles Crisis

Fifteen years into the cold war, the new American president and the Soviet premier met in Vienna to discuss the east-west confrontation. They resolved nothing. The superpowers continued to increase their military strength. The Soviets felt threatened because the U.S. still had more missiles. Some of those missiles were based in Turkey. These tensions eventually led to a confrontation in Cuba.
The crisis began on Monday, October 15, when photos revealed SS-4 nuclear missiles in Cuba. This confrontation lasted 14 days. On Sunday, October 28, Premier Nikita Khrushchev, announced over the radio that the Soviets would dismantle their nuclear missiles in Cuba.