This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. It is the product of almost two decades of research and includes analyses, chronologies, historical documents, and interviews from the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.

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The History of the SACP 1912 - 1990

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
1912		Launch of the ANC
1914			First World War A war between imperialists
1915	The ISL Launch of the International Socialist League
1917			The Bolshevik Revolution The world's first socialist state is born
1919		ICU Launched In a few years, it sweeps through the country	Communist International (CI) launched

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
1921	Launch of the CPSA The first Marxist Leninist party in Africa is formed, emerging from revolutionary socialist active among white workers
1922		Rand Revolt The most militant white workers' strike is antiboss and antiblack workers!
1924	Africanisation of the Party Stalwarts such as JB Marks and Johannes Nkosi join the party
1926		ICU expels communists The ICU's star begins to fade
1927		JT Gumede elected ANC President A new progressive leadership emerges
1928	Emergence of African Leadership 1600 of the CPSA's 1750 members are black		CI 6th Congress the task of the South african communist is to transform the ANC 'into a fighting nationalist revolutionary organisation'
1929	Black Republic thesis The CPSA developes a strategic line, with the assistance of the Communist International:'The most direct line of advance to soccialism runs through the mass struggle for majority rule'

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
Early 30s	Factionalism The CI also has negative effects:Factionalism leads to the expulsion of veterans like SP Bunting
1935		All African Convection Forerunner of today's broad front politics	CI 7th congress Dimitrov urges 'united fronts, not leftsectarianism, in the face of the fascist onslaught
Late 30s	Nonsectarianism A nonsectarian leadership emerges around Moses Kotane
1939			Second World War

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
19415	Stonger Structures Strong CPSA branches are built in the townships.Communists also play leading roles in building theCongress movement
1941		CNETU Formed Congress of NonEuropean Trade Unions launched as South Africa's manufacturing industry booms	Soviet Union invaded Hilter's froces slaughter 20million Soviet citizens...but are finally crushed
1945			Cold War The antifascist war ends,but imperialism leads a renewed anticommunistpropaganda war
1946		Black miner's strike 100 000 miners strike, led by JB Marksa long standing Party member
1948		National Party elected whitesonly parliament
1949		ANC Programme of Action The ANC moves towards a more militant, mass line

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
1950	CPSA Banned
1950s		Years of ANC led mass action Defiance Campaign, Congress of the People, boycotts and national strikes
1953	SACP Launched A new underground Party is launched
Late 50s			African decolonisation African countries begin to win political independence
1959		PAC split On a rightwing,anti socialist platform, Sobukwe splits from the ANC

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
1960s			Southern African guerilla wars Liberation movements in Angola,Mozambique, and then Namibia and Zimbabwe launch armed struggles
1960		ANC banned
1961		Armed Struggle On December 16, Umkhonto we Sizwe is launched
1962	Road to Freedom At an underground conference,theSACP adopts a new programme
Mid 60s	Repression Hundreds of communists are jailed. Some, like Vuyisile Mini, are sent to the gallows
1967		Wankie and Sipolilo campaigns With ZIPRA comrades, MK combatants fight Zimbabwe
1969		ANC Morogoro Conference

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
1970	Augmented Central Committee The SACP reviews 9 years of armed struggle and concludeds:' Armed struggle without mass mobilisation and organisation will lead nowwhere'		These struggles result in ......
1971	Internal reconstruction The Party rebuilds its clandestine structures.Inkululeko appears a voice from ther underground
1973		Durban strikes A new era of trade unionism begins
Mid 70s			Independence for Mozambique for Mozambique and Angola and......
1976/7		Uprisings The start of 15 years of semi insurrectionary struggles

Years	Important events in the party's history	Other important South Africa events	Important International events
1980			Independence for Zimbabwe
1896	65th Anniversary Inspired by the growth of a powerful union movement, the SACP reasserts a more independent profile		Perestroika/glasnost Faced with an economic crisis, the Soviet Union begins a struggle to reconnect socialism with its democratic roots
1989	7th Party Congress A new Party programme is adopted
1990	Relaunch The SACP is unbanned, and relaunched at a mass rally in Soweto	1989 COSATU Launched

The O’Malley Archives

The History of the SACP 1912 - 1990