 The historical significance of South Africa's third forceStephen Ellis Journal of Southern African Studies, 1998, vol. 24, issue 2, 261-299 Abstract: Accounts of South Africa's transition from apartheid differ markedly in the role they attribute to violence. The most influential narratives of negotiations tend to portray the violence of the transition period, including that perpetrated by those networks within and without the security forces which have become known collectively as the Third Force, as a reaction to events, doomed to failure and rather disconnected from the main narrative of history. Newly available evidence shows the degree to which the Third Force was integrated into the policy of the National Party over a long period, and played a crucial role in determining the nature and outcome of constitutional negotiations in 1990–1994. The consequences of the tactics used by the Third Force, and the legacy of the war for South Africa in general, continue to have an important influence on politics and on society. Analysis of contemporary South Africa can benefit from consideration of the manner in which politics, military activity and crime became enmeshed during a long war. Date: 1998 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:cjssxx:v:24:y:1998:i:2:p:261-299 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/03057079808708577 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Southern African Studies is currently edited by Ralph Smith More articles in Journal of Southern African Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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