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AM builds on Apartheid South Africa resource with release of newly-available documents from The National Archives, UK

Apartheid South Africa, module IV: Resistance, Sanctions and Reform, 1981-1988, the latest release in the AM Archives Direct series, continues to build a comprehensive guide to the UK and South Africa’s relationship during the apartheid regime with newly available government documents from The National Archives, UK.

Following chronologically from where the previous module left off, which covered the period 1976-1980, the material within the first of two new modules covers the latter years of the apartheid regime in South Africa through the lens of British government files. Users will be able to study the UK government’s position and role during apartheid through content on sanctions, embargoes, humanitarian issues, opportunities and support for black South Africans in the UK, reports on segregated society in South Africa, and business links between the UK and South Africa.

A range of essays within the collection help students contextualise this period of upheaval, including an overview of the internal situation in South Africa and its neighbouring states, as well as an exploration of the various international movements against apartheid. Searching guides provide further support allowing the user to explore the language guidelines, providing important contextual details on outdated language and terms previously used to address cultures within existing metadata.

One of the biggest highlights of this resource is that The National Archives have recently released documents, which is why we are now able to produce this project. So we are presenting a very exciting offering of files which many researchers will not have yet been able to access in the archive.

Sophie Davis, Development Editor, AM

Apartheid South Africa, module IV: Resistance, Sanctions and Reform, 1981-1988 is now available.

About AM Archives Direct

AM Archives Direct, comprised of exclusive sources from the UK government’s official archive, provides crucial insight into modern geopolitics from the perspective of the British state. Spanning 200 years of global history, the materials document the roots of major developments and conflicts that shape our world today and presents essential primary source content for students of global politics, international relations and area studies.


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