Abstract
This book report defines the important aspects of Nelson Mandela's leadership and it reflects the character of liberty that is being expressed after the fall of Apartheid. Russell makes sure to understand the political dimensions of the appearance of a change in leadership after Apartheid in the triumph of the release of Mandela as a political prisoner. When Mandela was elected president by a unanimous vote, he began to understand the somewhat the superficial nature of the economic pressures he had to face as a leader of a newly freed colonial state.
The reality of racism in South Africa, however, was far from over and the ‘myth' of freedom for blacks in Africa that Mandela endured after he stepped down from office. When Mbeki took over, Mandela's political symbolism as a leader is defined in the role he represented at the national level as a peacemaker: “A leader must keep the forces together, but you can't do that unless you allow dissent”.
