Deck 22: South Africa

Question 1

Which of the following statements about the ANC's policies and actions toward alleviating poverty and inequality in the wake of democratization is accurate?

A)The ANC pursued a strongly statist model of economic stewardship in its first decade of rule as a means of rapidly changing the economic-racial divide.
B)ANC policies have trended liberal and have brought limited but uneven growth,with several long periods of declining GDP.
C)The ANC pursues a model of liberal economic structuring after a costly two years of big investments in direct provision of basic needs to the poor.
D)The ANC has recently abandoned its support of land reform and basic health care to focus more fully on containing inflation.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Under apartheid,Bantustans were

A)internationally recognized black states.
B)squatter settlements of blacks within major South African cities.
C)"independent" black states created by South Africa but not recognized by any other country.
D)banning orders,which prevented some South Africans from voting.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following actions was taken by President F.W.de Klerk that hastened the transition to democracy and the end of apartheid?

A)legalizing the ANC
B)passing the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act
C)jailing prominent apartheid proponents
D)dismantling the PAC

Answer 3

A

Question 4

South Africa currently uses which electoral system?

A)pure proportional representation
B)single-member district with plurality
C)single transferable vote
D)mixed single-member district and proportional representation

Question 5

The most powerful house of the South African legislature is called the

A)Tribal Authority.
B)Executive Chamber.
C)National Council of Provinces.
D)National Assembly.

Question 6

The National Party took power in 1948 after a(n)

A)bloody battle with the English.
B)long war with blacks.
C)military coup.
D)election victory.

Question 7

How does public policy of the main opposition party,the Democratic Alliance (DA),contrast with that of the African National Congress?

A)The DA has embraced stronger property rights for nonwhites.
B)The DA favors a smaller role for the central government.
C)The DA wants to take education and economic policy out of the hands of local governments.
D)The DA has not made fighting corruption a strong component of their governing platform.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about formal powers and rules of the National Assembly is accurate?

A)National Assembly members serve for single six-year terms and are not allowed to stand for reelection.
B)ANC dominance of the National Assembly has had a big influence on the failure of the legislature to demonstrate much policy independence from the president.
C)The National Assembly is in part charged with validating the results of popular election of the president by the people.
D)The National Assembly can override National Council decisions with a plurality vote.

Question 9

The Population Registration Act of 1950

A)gave blacks the right to vote.
B)allowed interracial marriages for the first time.
C)divided South Africans into four racial categories.
D)ended all racial discrimination.

Question 10

Which of the following statements best describes South Africa's political system during apartheid?

A)It was democratic for whites,resembling a parliamentary democracy,but excluded most other South Africans.
B)It was a parliamentary democracy that excluded Indians from citizenship and voting.
C)It was sharply authoritarian;a single party kept control of government through electoral fraud.
D)It was an illiberal democracy in which black Africans could only vote if they owned property.

Question 11

The Great Trek was a(n)

A)bloody battle between Xhosa and Afrikaners.
B)long march by Bantu kingdoms to escape European colonization.
C)epic battle between Afrikaners and the English.
D)Afrikaner migration to the interior of South Africa to escape the British,which later gained mythical status.

Question 12

A large majority of South Africans identify themselves as

A)atheist.
B)Catholic.
C)Christian.
D)Muslim.

Question 13

South Africa's legislative-executive system is

A)parliamentary,though a president serves as head of government.
B)presidential,though the legislature is referred to as a parliament.
C)a traditional parliamentary model.
D)semi-presidential.

Question 14

South Africa's strongest opposition party is the

A)Congress of the People.
B)Democratic Alliance.
C)Inkatha Freedom Party.
D)African National Congress.

Question 15

The Boer Wars ended in

A)defeat for the Afrikaners.
B)defeat for the British.
C)defeat for the Xhosa tribes.
D)victory for the Xhosa tribes.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the role of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)in South Africa is accurate?

A)COSATU has consistently opposed the ANC's economic liberalization policies.
B)COSATU's overall influence weakened dramatically when it failed to mobilize strikes in demand for higher wages.
C)COSATU severed its relations with the ANC in response to the ANC's failure to criticize the Mugabe regime.
D)COSATU is one of the rare components of South African civil society that has not been tied to the effort to end apartheid.

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the economic strategy adopted by the ANC in 1996?

A)liberal market policies domestically,but with high tariff barriers and a rejection of international investment
B)liberal macroeconomic structural adjustment with greater limits to the role of the state
C)mildly mercantilist,with a focus on import substitution industrialization
D)strongly socialist policies with an expanding welfare state

Question 18

The most important antiapartheid organization was the

A)Pan Africanist Congress.
B)African National Congress.
C)National Party.
D)South African Communist Party.

Question 19

Which of the following was a result of the investigation of the ANC by President Mbeki's Directorate of Special Operations?

A)the effective disbanding of the Directorate of Special Operations
B)the fall of President Mbeki himself
C)the rapid strengthening of opposition parties like COPE
D)a turf war between the Scorpions and the Directorate

Question 20

The controversial South African who became president after the 2009 elections is

A)Desmond Tutu.
B)Helen Zille.
C)Jacob Zuma.
D)Kgalema Motlanthe.

Question 21

Which of the following was a controversial policy of President Thabo Mbeki?

A)his policy regarding HIV/AIDS
B)his involvement in African peacekeeping
C)his bitter opposition to Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe
D)his attempt to ban opposition political parties

Question 22

How did South African electoral processes change in the transition from apartheid to the current system? Why was the British model abandoned,and what effect has it had on fair representation?

Question 23

Describe the state of crime and corruption in modern South Africa.What steps,if any,have recent ANC governments taken to address these problems,and how successful have they been?

Question 24

In which of the following ways does the South African president differ from typical prime ministers in advanced democracies?

A)The South African president can choose his cabinet.
B)The South African president has less ceremonial and symbolic power.
C)It is more difficult for the legislature to remove the South African president.
D)It is relatively common for a South African president to be removed by a vote of no confidence.

Question 25

Describe the system of apartheid in South Africa.How did its supporters justify white rule? How was it able to survive for so long?

Question 26

Why is civil society in South Africa described as "vigorous,effective,and [yet] shallow"? How has civil society developed in South Africa since apartheid? Describe at least two actors in civil society that show promise.

Question 27

Compare the pre-apartheid economic platform of the ANC with the ANC's economic policy making after apartheid.Why did the ANC moderate its economic policies after gaining political power in 1994?