Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
African National Congress
Parallel form(s) of name
- ANC
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- South African Native National Congress
- SANNC
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1912 - present
History
The African National Congress (ANC) is South Africa's governing party and has been in power since the transition to democracy in April 1994. The organisation was initially founded as the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) on 8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein, with the aim of fighting for the rights of black South Africans.
The organization was renamed the ANC in 1923. While the organization’s early period was characterized by political inertia due to power struggles and lack of resources, increasing repression and the entrenchment of white minority rule galvanized the party. As a result of the establishment of apartheid, its aversion to dissent by Black people and brutal crackdown of political activists, the ANC together with the SACP formed a military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation/ MK) in 1961.
Through MK, the ANC waged the armed struggle and obtained support from some African countries and the Soviet block for its activities. With the increasing internal dissent, international pressure and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the apartheid government was forced to enter into negotiations with the ANC. This saw the collapse of apartheid and the ushering in of democratic rule in 1994.
Places
Republic of South Africa, Africa
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
GB 1847
Rules and/or conventions used
ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997).
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created by Julia Wylie, October 2016
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
South Africa History Online . 2016. African National Congress (ANC). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sahistory.org.za/organisations/african-national-congress-anc. [Accessed 17 October 2016].