This thesis examines the ways in which the Liberal Party - the Natal Division in particularattempted
to become an effective political force in South Africa. The Party was fanned in May
1953 as a non-racial political party. Initially, it concentrated on working among the white
electorate, and on achieving political change through parliamentary means. The Party gradually
shifted its attention to the voteless black majority, and took its active opposition beyond the
boundaries of parliamentary politics. Members of the Natal Division played a leading role in
this shift. The party gave expression to a distinctive strand of radica1liberalism, within a
broader spectrum of South African liberalism. The Party was unsuccessful in preventing the
entrenchment of the apartheid policies it so vehemently opposed. However, the Natal LP
succeeded in developing a good working relationship with Congress Alliance, especially the
African National Congress, in the region, in attracting a large number of black members
through its grass-roots involvement, and in keeping liberal principles and priorities in the public
eye in inauspicious circumstances. From 1960, Party leaders attracted increasing government
persecution for their anti-apartheid activism. The Party deserves more attention than is
commonly given to it in the South African historiography of resistance politics. The Liberal
Party's continued existence as a non-racial political party was rendered impossible by
government legislation in 1968. The Party disbanded, rather than compromise its non-racial
principles. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/5902 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Moffatt, Debra Anne Fyvie. |
| Contributors | Benyon, J., Nuttal, T. A. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
Page generated in 0.005 seconds