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Many people wonder if campaigning really has any effect because they wonder whether they can make any difference. There are several well-known examples of campaigns by ordinary citizens that accomplished results that seemed impossible when the campaigns started.
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The Anti-Slavery Movement
At the end of the eighteenth century slavery or serfdom was the lot of most of the people alive, but by the end of the following century keeping slaves was officially outlawed in most countries.
Ex-slaves speaking to people around Britain about the life of slavery was one of the most effective ways of changing opinions about the slave trade.
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The Anti-Apartheid Campaign
The campaign against apartheid consisted of an economic boycott of South African products, demonstrations at spoting events and eventually sporting isolation and international businesses withdrew their interests in South Africa. The campaign resulted in the release of Nelson Mandela from prison and free elections which resulted in his election as president.
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Jubilee 2000 - the Drop the Debt Campaign
From small beginnings this campaign ended up mobilising 24 million people internationally. This included a demonstration by 70,000 people in Birmingham for the G7 finance ministers' meeting in 1998. All of this pressure on politicians led to the cancellation of $100 billion in debts at the Cologne G8 summit in 1999.
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