Key Figures and Laws of Apartheid in South Africa

These flashcards cover significant figures, laws, and policies related to apartheid in South Africa.

D.F. Malan

National Party leader who formally introduced apartheid in 1948.

Hendrik Verwoerd

Prime architect of apartheid policies and racial classification.

P.W. Botha

Apartheid-era president who used violence and repression to enforce the system.

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader, ANC member, first Black president of South Africa.

F.W. de Klerk

National Party leader who ended apartheid laws and freed Mandela.

Desmond Tutu

Archbishop who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (1949)

Banned marriages between white and non-white South Africans.

Immorality Amendment Acts

Criminalized sexual relationships between white and non-white people.

Reservation of Separate Amenities Act

Legalized racial segregation in public facilities without equality.

Group Areas Act

Forced racial groups to live in separate designated areas, causing mass removals.

Bantu Education Act (1952)

Enforced inferior education for Black South Africans to limit advancement.

Pass Laws

Required Black South Africans to carry identification to control movement.

Apartheid

Government system enforcing racial segregation and white supremacy.

White Supremacy Policy

Belief system used to justify white minority rule.

Racial Classification System

Legally divided people into White, Black, Coloured, and Asian categories.

Separate Development Policy

Justified segregation by claiming races developed best apart.

Homelands Policy

Confined Black South Africans to underdeveloped territories.

Language Policy (Afrikaans Enforcement)

Required Afrikaans in schools, sparking protests like 1976 uprising.

Affirmative Action (Post-apartheid)

Policies aimed at correcting racial inequality in employment.

William de Klerk

Reform figure linked to apartheid’s dismantling.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

A commission chaired by Desmond Tutu to address past human rights violations.