In my history class my professor told me Mandela was a great person who fought for peace and did nothing wrong and was jailed for trying to end apartheid but I was reading more and apparently he was a communist terrorist who orchestrated many terrorist attacks and bombings that killed dozens of innocent people l? Wtf is this true? It feels like everything I've learned is a lie...
In the real world things are grey and history is whitewashed to be politically correct especially in school curriculums.
To answer your questions yes he joined the communist party in South Africa and was intent on using peaceful means to enact change against apartheid. However in 1961 he founded the Umkhonto we Sizwe which was a militant organization dedicated to sabotaging the government and was subsequently arrested in 1962 for conspiring to overthrow the government. He was then jailed and ultimately released after 25 years due to both national and international pressure along with fears of a racial civil war.
Upon release he worked in nonviolent means negotiating with the government to end apartheid and leading the African National Party to victory in the multiracial elections to become president. He promoted cooperation between the races and worked to enact liberal policies such as land reform and to combat poverty even with his socialist background. Sorry for formatting aso I'm typing this on my cellphone waiting for my plane.
Some things you can take a look at: Ellis, Stephen. The Genesis of the ANC's Armed Struggle in South Africa 1948–1961
Ellis, Stephen. Nelson Mandela, the South African Communist Party and the origins of Umkhonto we Sizwe
As well as his own a long walk to freedom.