1. Nelson Mandela played an important role in ending __ in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela was a key figure in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that existed in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. Mandela's efforts, both in and out of prison, were instrumental in bringing about the end of apartheid and in establishing a new era of democracy and equality in South Africa. His work laid the foundation for the country's first multiracial elections in 1994, which he won, becoming the first black president of South Africa.