Trying to determine a conclusion as to how effective the external pressures were in coercing South Africa to dismantle the apartheid system is very difficult. The most important question was answered by history itself: the apartheid system was dismantled! There is also no doubt that the riots, strikes, boycotts, and other acts of civil disobedience within South Africa played a major role in the elimination of the apartheid system. However, what role did the external pressures play? According to Barnet and Muller, man’s greatest tool for influencing the future, whether good or bad, is the multinational corporation (Mangaliso 235). Kenneth Rodman makes it clear that most people studying the situation agreed that sanctions did affect the South African decision to end apartheid to some degree. He believes the most powerful weapon was the multinational banks calling in their loans in 1985, causing chaos in the South African economy (314). In addition, over the next five years, while financial sanctions were costing South Africa 11 billion dollars, trade sanctions were almost voided by the use of alternate routes and secondary countries, to get around the sanctions (“Did Sanctions Work?”). Governmental restrictions were not as effective as the public’s direct pressure, according to Rodman, because many companies resented government interference in their operations and therefore found ways to circumvent it (317).

Nelson Mandela, perhaps the person in the best position to judge their effectiveness, believed that if the sanctions had ended too soon, all of the progress that had been made toward ending apartheid would have been derailed (Levy 419). On the other hand, many observers believe economic sanctions were only marginally effective. Economic sanctions, voluntary disinvestment, embargoes, and international condemnation were all effective to some degree. However, after reviewing my sources, I believe the internal events, such as the boycotts, strikes, demonstrations and violence played a more significant role then sanctions did. The persistence of the African majority in their fight for equality, unwilling to surrender to brutality, appears to be the most significant force in the apartheid downfall. When the government realized the non-white majority was never going to give up their fight, they had to decide whether to accept a peaceful transition, surrendering most of their power, or fight to the death. Surrendering their power was chosen. Perhaps if all of the multinational corporations observed the sanctions in earnest they would have had a much greater effect, but that was not the case. And perhaps just knowing that the rest of the world supported their cause gave the Africans the extra determination they needed to continue the struggle. It is without question that forces beyond the South African government were necessary in order to force an end to apartheid. However, to determine an exact level of influence the sanctions had on ending apartheid does not appear to be possible.