In 1948 the National Party was voted into power and apartheid machinery set in motion. "Separate development," as it was euphemistically known, was deemed appropriate, and black South Africans were regarded as nothing more than "hewers of wood and drawers of water." As such, black education was accepted as inferior, whole communities were moved off desirable land, and the majority of South Africans were unable to vote. Fortunately, however, exceptional men and women -- Nelson Mandela being the most famous and best-loved -- were determined to change the status quo. In fact, the anti-apartheid struggle began as soon as the Nats came to power. While F. W. de Klerk was president, negotiations began, Mandela was released from prison, and the first democratic election was held in 1994. For their efforts, de Klerk and Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize for an achievement others thought impossible.