Originally published in 1988, this book describes and analyses the factors that were operative in South Africa during the 1980s, at a time when Apartheid was under intense pressure.

1. Introduction: The Politics of Stalemate Mark Swilling 2. A Critical Analysis of the South African State's Reform Strategies in the 1980s William Cobbett, Daryl Glaser, Doug Hindson and Mark Swilling 3. The Giant Stirs: South African Business in the Age of Reform Michael Mann 4. The Crisis of Local Government in South Africa Jeremy Grest 5. Intensifying Civil War: The Role of the South African Defence Force Michael Evans and Mark Phillips 6. The Wild Card: Inkatha and Contemporary Black Politics Colleen McCaul 7. The Rise of Social-Movement Unionism: The Two Faces of the Black Trade Union Movement in South Africa Eddie Webster 8. Political Mobilisation in the Black Townships of the Transvaal Jeremy Seekings 9. State of Exile: The African National Congress of South Africa, 1976-86 Tom Lodge 10. Images of the Future and Strategies in the Present: The Freedom Charter and the South African Left Peter Hudson 11. Beyond Apartheid: Pathways for Transition Philip Frankel 12. Select Bibliography on South Africa Noam J. Pines