Nelson Mandela's leadership was instrumental in the end of apartheid in South Africa. He was a leader in the African National Congress (ANC), a political party that sought to end the oppressive system of racial segregation and discrimination. Mandela's activism led to his arrest and imprisonment in 1964, but his determination to bring about change was undiminished. After his release in 1990, he negotiated with the South African government to bring about a peaceful transition to democracy. His leadership helped to ensure that the transition was successful, and in 1994, South Africa held its first multiracial elections, which marked the official end of apartheid.