Apartheid and Resistance

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to Apartheid and resistance in South Africa, based on the provided lecture notes. Each card defines a specific term or act relevant to the Apartheid era.

Apartheid

Official government policy in South Africa from 1948 to 1989 that classified people into different racial groups based on skin color, stating light-skinned people were superior. The term means 'apartness'.

Racial Groups (Apartheid South Africa)

The four main racial groups in South Africa under Apartheid were Africans (called 'Natives' or 'Bantu'), Whites, Coloureds, and Indian (Asian).

Native Land Act (1913)

The first segregatory law in South Africa, passed by the white government, which limited the rights of black South Africans and allowed them only 13% of the land.

National Party (Apartheid)

The political party that came to power in 1948 in South Africa and introduced 148 Apartheid laws, using the term 'Apartheid' to gain support from White voters.

Native Land Act provisions

This act only allowed Africans to own 13% of the land, forcing them off their land onto overcrowded reserves with few amenities, while the rest was for white farmers.

Pass laws

Legislations that controlled the movement of non-white South Africans, specifically requiring Black South Africans to carry pass books at all times.

Apartheid laws (National Party)

148 laws introduced by the National Party from 1948, which controlled who had power, could vote, where people lived, worked, were educated, and reserved the best facilities for whites.

Separate Amenities Act

A law that segregated public places like beaches, parks, toilets, and all public amenities, including benches and building entrances, with the best facilities reserved for whites.

Suppression of Communism Act and Terrorism Act

Laws that banned any organization the National Party disliked (e.g., ANC and Communist Party) and granted the government the authority to arrest, jail, and torture people suspected of being part of such groups.

Bantu Education Act

A law that established an inferior education system for black children, characterized by overcrowded classrooms, limited resources, and compulsory subjects like needlework, soil maintenance, handcraft, English, Afrikaans, Christianity lessons, and Social Studies.

Bantu Self Government Act

This act renamed reserves to Homelands or Bantustans, stripping black people of their South African citizenship and making them citizens of their homeland, with homelands still controlled by the Apartheid government.

Population Registration Act

A law that classified all South Africans into racial groups (European/white, Coloureds, Indians, and Africans), which determined their living areas, types of work, associations, and required non-Europeans to carry pass books.

Group Areas Act

A law that set aside specific residential and business areas for different races in cities, leading to forced removals of over 4 million people, destruction of communities, loss of culture, and creation of homeless families.

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and Immorality Act

Laws that banned marriages and sexual relations between black and white people, imposing heavy jail sentences for those who violated them.

African National Congress (ANC)

A political party formed in 1912 to fight for the rights of black South Africans, initially advocating nonviolent resistance but later engaging in armed struggle after being banned under Apartheid laws.

Sharpeville Massacre (1960)

A tragic event where South African police opened fire on a crowd of unarmed black protestors demonstrating against pass laws, killing 69 people and injuring over 180, drawing international condemnation.

Robben Island

A notorious island prison off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, used by the Apartheid government to incarcerate political prisoners, including many leaders of the anti-apartheid movement.