Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of History at the University of Pretoria. This thesis includes chapters on The drift towards armed struggle, 1912-1960; The decision to commence with the armed struggle; The formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe; The internal development of the armed struggle; The external development of the armed struggle; The relationship between Umkhonto we Sizwe and the ANC-SACP alliance; The organisation, leadership and funding of Umkhonto we Sizwe; The recruitment, training and arming of Umkhonto we Sizwe's cadres; The failure of Umkhonto's armed mission.