Summary Of Nelson Mandela's Leadership

We need to reflect upon some of the subtle characteristics of Mandela’s leadership. Unlike other eminent leaders of the past like Mahatma Gandhi or present leaders like the US President Barrack Obama, Nelson did not enjoy the unalloyed support of the common masses. Even his own wife was at crossroads with him. In his early days of struggle for freedom and liberation, he was branded as a terrorist by the government. Later on, a serious difference in political ideologies and the means to achieve the goals led to his separation with his beloved wife. At the start, we see young Mandela as a vociferous defense attorney who dares to question a white woman on false accusation charges against a black woman. The torture inflicted on a black who was

As far as we can look back into the pages of history, we find at different epochs of time, oppressed masses have resorted to violence and a terrible urge to inflict pain and suffering to their oppressor at the slightest hint of liberation. This we highlighted in ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ too. And this is where Mandela is different and perhaps ‘great’. He dreams of a democratic South Africa where both whites and blacks could co-exist and live in harmony. He believed in a utopian world where the blacks and whites could live without fear and mutual hatred. He was the leader of the blacks, the voice of the masses oppressed for generations and when Providence hints at the possibility of a black government, the blacks rejoice at the thought of bloody revenge against the whites. It is at this tumultuous moment that Nelson voices his opinion – he chooses to form a government along with the whites and ensures that the rights of the whites are not whiffed off in the name of revenge. His staunch belief has been beautifully portrayed in these immortal