The Congress Movement: The Unfolding of the Congress Alliance 1912-1961

The Congress Movement, based on primary and secondary sources including some 80 interviews dating back to the early 1960s, uniquely combines narrative and analysis. Volume 3 explores how the ANC emerges and stps into its primary role as a national liberation movement resulting from a complex process stretching from the 1920s to the beginning of the 1960s. A key theme in this context is the integral role of the then Congress Youth League leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Oliver Tambo.
CONTENTS:
* SEARCHING FOR THE ADEQUATE FORM OF THE UNITED FRONT, 1928–34: THREATS TO THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS'S PRIMARY ROLE.
* Threats to the African National Congress's Primary Role.
* The ANC–ICU 1928 Decision to Cooperate: With an Anti-Communist Rider: Issue of Passes, 1928–30.
* What Kind of Organisation Was the LAR?
* Mahabane Takes the Lead in Calling for an African Convention.
* Mahabane's Policy of a Black–White Round Table and Declaration of Rights, 1929 ANC Conference.
* The Communists' Attitude to Mahabane's Policies.
* Mahabane and Communism, 1929.
* Maneuvers to Dismantle the ANC’s Primary Role, 1926–30.
* Gumede Loses the Congress Presidency.
* Plans to Restructure the ANC on the Basis of Employees' Organisations: Ballinger's Role.
* The Non-European Conference.
* AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AT THE TIME OF THE SEME PRESIDENCY, 1930–37: THE ORGANISATION'S CONGRESS CHARACTER IS ENDANGERED.
* The Organisation's Congress Character is Endangered.
* Seme's Political Positions at the Time of the Founding of the Congress.
* The New Seme Constitution.
* Seme and the Upper House at the Time of the Mahabane Presidency, 1937–40.
* Seme, Business.
* Fate of the Heaton Nicholls Initiative in the Framework of the Joint Select Committee.
* African National Congress Leaders and the Nicholls Plan.
* State of the African National Congress in the First Half of the 1930s.
* Liberals Prime DDT Jabavu as African Leader on the Franchise Proposals.
* Congress Leaders Call for an All-African Convention: The Regional Conferences.
* The All-African Convention, 1935.
* Maneuvers Around the "Compromise" of 1936.
* Thema, Dube, and Seme and the "Compromise."
* Seme's Removal at the 1937 Conference: Mahabane Puts the African National Congress Back on Course.
* THE ALL-AFRICAN CONVENTION AND THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, 1937–48: A FEDERAL OR UNITARY PRINCIPLE?
* A Federal or Unitary Principle?
* Kadalie's Response to the All-African Convention.
* Was the All-African Convention a New Social Movement?
* The Communists' Attitude to the All-African Convention.
* Reservations About the All-African Convention and Early Moves to Revive the African National Congress.
* The All-African Convention Challenge is Defeated.
* The ANC Adopts a New Constitution in 1943.
* Xuma and the All-African Convention: Non-European Unity Movement, Including the "Meeting of the 12 Leaders."
* THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS UNDER ZUMA, 1940-49: TO WHAT EXTENT WAS IT A BREAK WITH A PREVIOUS ERA?
* To What Extent Was It a Break With the Previous Era?
* Were Congress Councillors on the Native Representative Council Mandated by the ANC?
* Division of Labor Between Z.K. Matthews and Xuma: The 1943 NRC Recess Committee on Representation.
* A New Phase Opens With Africans' Claims.
* The Pass Campaign, 1943–46.
* The Crisis Conditions of 1946.
* Xuma, Congress, and Trade Unionism.
* Xuma's Evidence to the Native Mine Wages Commission of 1943.
* Prelude to the African Mine Workers' Strike.
* The African Mine Workers' Strike, 1946.
* The Communists and the Question of a Non-European Trade Union Federation.
* What Was Xuma's Attitude Towards the Mine Strike?
* Adjournment of the Native Representative Council and the Smuts Proposals.
* Xuma, the ANC, and the Boycott of the NRC.
* Xuma and Organisation.
* Growing Political Role of Indian Leaders.
* The People's Assembly of 1948: Problems of the United Front.
* PHASE OF THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION, 1948-50: A COMPLICATED HISTORICAL JUNCTURE.
* A Complicated Historical Juncture.
* The ANC and the General Election of 1948.
* Emergence of the Youth League: What Was Its Strategy?
* The CYL's Programme for a New South Africa.
* The Issue of a Programme of Action Prior to the ANC's 1948 Conference.
* The ANC Annual Conference, December 1948, and a Programme of Action.
* Efforts to Draft a Programme of Action During 1949.
* Response of the Communists to the Programme.
* The Difficulties of Leading Youth Leaguers with the Defend Free Speech Convention, 1950.
* Suppression of Communism Act: Mandela, Tambo, Sisulu Jettison Anti-Communism.
* CHAMPION, MSIMANG, AND THEMA LEAVE THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, 1951–1952: END OF AN ERA.
* End of an Era.
* The CYL and Radical Democracy.
* The CYL and Trade Unionism: The CYL’s Attitude to the ICU.
* Kadalie's Last Years.
* Champion's Efforts to Secure the Role of "Leader of Natal."
* Champion's Growing Irritation with the ANC.
* Natal, the National Fund, the Afrikaner Nationalists, and the Zulu Royal House.
* African–Indian Confrontation in Durban: The 1949 Riots.
* Champion's Attitude to the Youth Leaguers and to the Programme of Action.
* Msimang Turns Against Champion and Lutuli Takes Over the Natal Leadership.
* The Baloyi Issue, Congress, and Afrikaner Nationalists.
* Selope Thema's Role in Congress, 1946–49.
* Thema in 1949.
* Establishment of the National-Minded Bloc.
* The National-Minded Bloc, Business, and "Economic Independence."
* The Youth Leaguers and the National-Minded Bloc.
* Common Basis of Thema, Champion, and Msimang Leave the ANC.
* Defiance Campaign, 1952. Xuma and the ANC, Late 1940s/Early 1950s, Including His Attitude to the Defiance Campaign.
* Postscript: How Did Xuma Come to Turn Against the ANC?
* LUTULI AND MANDELA, 1952–61: THE MAHABANE HERITAGE.
* The Mahabane Heritage.
* The Problem of a United Front with the Liberal Party.
* The ANC, the Liberal Party, and the COP.
* What Influences Shaped the Freedom Charter?
* The Land Shall Be Shared Among Those Who Work It.
* What Organisation or Organisational Framework Was Responsible for the Charter?
* Lutuli and the Freedom Charter.
* The M-Plan: Preparation for Revolution?
* The M-Plan and the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
* The 1958 ANC Constitution and the Question of Centralisation.
* Political Orientation of the IDAMF.
* All-in African Conference, October 1956.
* Multiracial Conference, December 1957: The Question of the Broad Front.
* Proceedings of the Multiracial Conference.
* Was the Multiracial Conference Simply a Dead End?
* Dialogue Continues.
* Liberal Party–ANC Relationship in the Late 1950s.
* The PAC.
* Why Did the ANC Leadership Prevaricate on the Issue of a Pass Campaign?
* Growing Lack of Confidence in the Method of Mass Campaigns.
* Crisis Symptoms in the Economy.
* "Sharpeville": Was it a Herald of Revolution or Counter-Revolution?
* Conceptual Considerations in Relation to the Call for a National Convention, 1960–61.
* Consultative Conference, December 1960, and All-in African Conference, March 1961.