Nelson Mandela

Twenty-seven years in prison, then the first president of a free South Africa.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Spent twenty-seven years imprisoned for resisting apartheid, most of them on Robben Island.
• Elected president in 1994 in the country's first universal-franchise election.
• Chose reconciliation over revenge, backed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1918 – 2013