IB History - South Africa

South African War (when, who, effects)

• 1899-1901

• Afrikaners vs Randlords

• Afterward, the two groups reconciled quickly and banded together over their shared need for African labor. Afrikaners needed labor on farms and Randlords needed labor in the mines

• Different territories merged to have national power that could be used to subjugate Africans for economic benefit.

South Africa Act (when, details)

• 1909

• Merged British and Dutch territories to form a greater South Africa

• Cape Colony, Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal

African Mine Workers Union Strike (when, results)

• 1946

• Gold mines strike

• Alerted the government to the labor situation

• Smut responded by setting up the Fagan Commission

Fagan Commission (when, why, details, results)

• 1946

• Response to AMWU gold mine strike

• Said that African urbanization was inevitable

• Advised that pass laws be relaxed

• Caused Sauer Commission

Sauer Commission (when, why, details)

• 1947

• Reunited NP response to Fagan Commission

• Said that African urbanization was not only reversible, but necessary to preserve the white identity

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (when, details)

• 1949

• Made mixed marriages illegal

Immorality Act of 1950 (details)

• Sex between Whites and Non-Whites made illegal

• Sex between Whites and Africans was already illegal prior to this Act

Group Areas Act (when, why, details, results)

• 1950

• Result of the Sauer Commission

• Africans relocated to townships on the outskirts of the city. Close enough to commute in to work for whites, but far enough away for segregation

• Worked with the Native Resettlement Act of 1954 and the Group Areas Development Act of 1955 to give the government the power to forcefully remove Black South Africans from “black spots” in cities (ex. Sophiatown)

• ANC protested but the removals still occurred

• Resettled townships were overcrowded and overrun with crime

Population Registration Act (when, details)

• 1950

• Classified the population into racial categories that were meant to be based on biological rather than social factors.

• Classifications: White, Colored, Bantu

Bantu Authorities Act (when, details)

• 1951

• Created regional authorities for Bantus in native reserves

Pass Law Act (when, details, results)

• 1952

• Made the existing pass system more extensive

• 96-page booklets were to be carried around by Africans containing all of their information (taxes, police run-ins, employment history, travel permits, etc)

• Led to an increase in arrests

• Used as a tactic to harass Africans and raid ANC meetings

ANC Defiance Campaign (when, why, details, results)

• 1952

• Response to the Pass Law Act, Bantu Authorities Act, Groups Areas Act, etc.

• Protesters attempted to enter without their pass books in order to be arrested and overwhelm the prisons

• Goal of contrasting non-violent protesters with the violence of the government

• Included slightly more militant tactics that were outlined the ANC Youth League’s Program of Action. (ANC YL had been upset with the ANC’s cautious approach

• ANC grew greatly, in part because of the ANC Women’s League’s organization of protests. Gained public support

• Ended in 1953 due to rioting and government response

• Government passed the Suppression of Communism Act which prevented ANC leaders from meeting

• Government passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act in 1953 which gave the courts the power to punish protesters more harshly

• Somewhat of a failure: no laws repealed, little rural involvement, poor Blacks found ANC to be elitist, no strikes that crippled South African economy

Reservation of Separate Amenities Act (when, details, results)

• 1953

• Things were already separated, but this act made benches, water fountains, etc separate as well.

• Separate entrances installed for buildings

• Limited interactions between the two races, which served to further divide them

• Amenities like libraries were now off limits to Africans, which meant they could no longer educate themselves

Bantu Education Act (when, details, results)

• 1953

• Different schools and curriculums for each of the races

• Africans taught technical skills so they could be in service to whites

• African culture belittled, but tribalism was emphasized

• Led to increase in youth crime due to a sense of feeling lost.

• ANC responded by encouraging parents to take their children out of the schools, which was not successful because parents were afraid of punishment from the government and the ANC didn’t have the resources to offer an alternative

• Despite a successful boycott, Verwoerd toned down the emphasis on tribalism in response

Freedom Charter (when, who, details)

• 1955

• Drafted by the COP (Congress of People)

• Called for the end of apartheid, equitable distribution of wealth, non-racial government, etc.

Treason Trial (when, details, results)

• 1956

• Members of the ANC and COP put on trial by the government

• Took a toll of the movement

• All accused acquitted by 1961

Alexandra Bus Boycott

• 1957

• Catalyzed by discontent after Group Areas Act and Sophiatown forced removals

• Bus boycott (duh) organized by South Africans, not a particular political organization

• Lasted 12 weeks

• Given sympathetic coverage in the media

• Some whites gave protesters lifts

• Protests only ended once the government subsidized the raise in bus fare

Extension of University Education Act (when, details)

• 1959

• Extended educational segregation to tertiary education, schools only allowed to admit students of one race

Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act (when, details, results)

• 1959

• Divided Africans into 10 ethnic groups

• Each group given a white commissioner-general to oversee their transition into self-government of the Bantustans

• Unsuccessful for many reasons. Bantus felt no allegiance to their Bantustan, the land they were given was rarely viable, high percentage of elderly and youth, became ruled by corrupt oligarchies

Sharpeville Massacre (when, details, results, historian)

• 1960

• PAC decided to protest non-violently despite their willingness to be violent, but they were fired upon by the police

• Caused the ANC to stop using non-violent methods (MK established)

• Government responded with the Unlawful Organizations Act in 1960 that banned the PAC and ANC

• Historian: Tom Lodge believes the Sharpeville Massacre marked the beginning of the international campaign against South African apartheid

Rivonia Trial (when, details, results)

• 1963-1964

• MK found planning an attack, then placed on trial for treason

• Gained international attention, the UN advocated for the accused to be given amnesty

• All of the accused found guilty, but given life sentences rather than the death penalty

• ANC basically defeated but the South African people were inspired by them

Soweto Uprising

• 1976

• Townships revolting

• Led to the NP taking steps to repeal apartheid

Petty Apartheid (when, who, examples)

• Associated with the first few years of Reunited NP rule (lates 40s, early 50s)

• Occurred while Malan and Strijdom were prime ministers

• Aim to ensure political and economic domination

• Immorality Act, Population Registration Act, Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, etc

Grand Apartheid (details, examples)

• Aim to completely separate the two races

• Bantu Authorities Act, Bantu Education Act, Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act

ANC Reasons For Non-Violence

• Lack of armed experience

• Fear of being labeled terrorists by the government

• Fear of losing international support

• Fear of losing moral high ground

ANC Reasons For Violence (pre-Sharpeville)

• Magnitude of violence officials met protesters with

• Desire to keep up with the PAC’s Poqo

Role of the MK

• Created the M Plan, but it was never enacted

• The existence of the MK made many South Africans admire the ANC more

• Inspired the Soweto Uprising

Role of SACP (South African Communist Party)

• Worked with the ANC and influenced them toward non-racialism and more militant strategy

• ANC went to the Soviet Union to be trained in guerilla tactics

• Historian: Stephen Ellis argued that the SACP heavily swayed the ANC, to the point that the SACP essentially took over the ANC after the Rivonia Trial

• SACP member Joe Slovo became head of MK

Role of Luthuli

• Key organizer of the Defiance Campaign

• Advocate for non-violence, his commitment to peace won over some liberal White South Africans

• Left Natives Representative Council once he became President-General of ANC

• Government banned him from speaking, making him more a symbolic leader (also due to his age)

• Left behind once movement became more violent

Role of Mandela

• Face of Defiance Campaign

• Tried in Treason Trial and in Rivonia Trial (even though he was imprisoned while MK members were planning their attacks)

• United South Africans of multiple races

• Historian: Tom Lodge argues that Mandela became a legendary figure due to the Rivonia trials and his nickname as the Black Pimpernel

Reasons for Discontent

• Pass Laws Act

• Group Areas Act

• Bantu Education Act

• Reservation of Separate Amenities Act

Protests

• Defiance Campaign (mostly failure)

• Burning Pass Books - Luthuli

• Sharpeville (international attention)

• Alexandra Bus Boycott (success)

• MK’s M Plan (never happened)

• Soweto Uprising (led to repeal of apartheid)

Government Response

• Sauer Commission

• Criminal Law Amendment Act

• Treason Trial

• Unlawful Organizations Act

• Rivonia Trials