Apartheid

National Party is elected

1948, marking the start of Apartheid

Petty Apartheid (Basskap)

Early apartheid laws that gave white people a social, political, and economic advantage over people of color. This began in the early 50s when Malan and Strijdom were prime ministers.

Grand Apartheid

Grand Apartheid was the plan to completely separate people based on race. Grand Apartheid was initiated by VF Verwoerd in the late 50s.

Prohibition of mixed marriages act

1949

Banning interracial marriage and voiding all those that previously existed

Goal: To maintain racial “purity”

Racial classification act

1950

All people’s race had to be legally classified (White, Black, Colored or Indian)

Goal: To create a basis for the other laws that where coming

Group areas act

1950

Eliminated mixed-race neighborhoods, and established clear areas where different races could live. This also applied to businesses

Goal: Increased racial “purity” and allowed easier survalence of non-white people.

Supression of communism act

1950

Banned the communist party

Goal: Allowed the national party to accuse any resistance groups of communist affiliations

Stock limitaiton act

1950

Limited the number of cattle black people could have.

Goal: To economically limit black people

Separate representation of voters

1951

Banned black people from voting

Goal: Keep the national party in power and promote exclusively their goals

Bantu authorities act

1951

Each Bantustan had a state-designated local leader.

Goal: Increased the power of the state within Bantustans

Pass Laws Act

1952

All non-white people had to carry a pass at all times with their race classification on it. Non-white people could be stoped by the police at any time and asked to shown their pass. If they did not have it they would be fined or arrested.

Defiance Campaign

Started in 1952

Non-violent protest where people violated apartheid laws (burning pass books, going into white areas without a passbook, violating curfews etc.). Conducted by the ANC.

Goal: to flood the prison system with protestors until it became ineffectual.

The official goal of the campaign was to force the government to repeal six "unjust laws" that had recently been introduced: Pass Laws Act, Group Areas Act, Suppression of Communism Act, Bantu Authorities Act, Separate Representation of the Voters Act, Stock Limitation Act.

Bantu Education Act

1953

Racially separated schools. Each race had a different curriculum based on the national party’s opinion of their intelligence. Black children usually only had to go to school for 3 hours a day, and were only taught information they needed to do menial labour jobs. Government spending on black children vs. white children was 1:7.

Goal: to limit the economic opportunities of non-white people

Criminal law act

1953

Punishment for minor crimes now included whipping. If the crime was commited for “political reasons” the punishment could be 5 years jail time.

Goal: End the defiance act

Promotion of bantu self-governance act

1959

All non-white people had to live on Bantustans (black people) or reservations (colored and indian) outside of urban areas. These areas comprised poor farming land that white farmers did not want, outside of urban areas. 55% of the South African population lived on 13% of the land. The Apartheid government still controlled internal security, foreign relations, immigration, and banking.

Goal: Created the illusion to the international community that black people were living self-sufficiently, justifying their disclussion from voting rights. In reality, they had poor resources and farming land so they were entirely dependent on the greater South Africa and provided a very cheap source of labor to white owned industry.

University education act

1959

Made it illegal for a non-white person to enroll in university.

Goal: To decrease the economic oppurtunties of non-white people.

Unlawful Organizations Act

1960

Banned the ANC and PAC.

Goal: End the resistance movement.

Sharpeville Massacre

1960

Police opened fired on a group burning their pass books, killing 69 and injuring many more.

National Effects:

• Increased white support for Apartheid.

• Verweord responded to the violence across South Africa by declaring a state of emergency on March 30th, 1960. All political gatherings were outlawed. Thousands of ANC and PAC leaders were arrested.

• The Unlawful Organizations Act was passed, banning the PAC and ANC.

• Pushed the ANC and PAC to form their armed wing.

International Effects

• India, Jamaica, the Netherlands, and the USSR placed sanctions.

• The US and UK did not place sanctions. Regan and Thatcher deemed the ANC and PAC terrorist groups.

• South Africa told the international community that the ANC was communist.

• The UN passed Resolution 134, in 1960, condemning Apartheid.

• South Africa was expelled from the Commonwealth in 1961.

Rivionia trial

1963 - 1964

MK leaders where charged and convicted with recruiting persons for training in the use of explosives, conspiring to commit terrorism, furthering “communism”, and taking money to commit these acts. 

African National Congress (ANC)

Resistance group, led protests, strikes, and armed resistance to achieve equality and end racial segregation. Wrote the freedom charter. Leaders included Mandela, Sisulu, and Tambo.

Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK)

Formed in 1961, was a violent wing of the ANC.

Pan African Congress

Founded in 1959 after breaking away from the ANC.

Why did the PAC break away from the ANC?

• The PAC felt that the ANC's leadership was too moderate and not sufficiently committed to the principles of African nationalism and direct action against the apartheid regime.

• Did not agree with ANC’s promotion of non-racialism, and alliances with other racial groups to fight apartheid.

• It believed in armed resistance before the MK was formed.

South African Communist Party (SACP)

Worked closely with the ANC and promoted multi racial cooperation against apartheid.

Poqo

1961

Armed resistance group founded by the PAC.

Black Sash

1955

White women’s organization that held marches against apartheid laws.

Freedom charter

1955

The bill of rights for the democratic, post-apartheid, south Africa.

School boycott

The ANC hosted an indefinite boycott of schools by black children. The boycott did not work because the ANC did not have the resources to educate those children. 

Luthlui

Elected president of the ANC in 1952. Luthlui abandoned his pacifist protest ideas after Sharpeville. Luthlui accepted a Nobel Peace Prize in 1961, bringing national attention to the ANC. Luthlui gave the ANC legitimacy, his peaceful defiance was evidence against the claims by Veroweord that the ANC were terrorists. 

Mandela

Mandela was a prominent ANC figure from 1948 to 1964 when he was sentenced to life in prison. Important in supporting the collaboration of the ANC with different groups of multiple races. First black president of South Africa in 1994.

Pretoria Minute

1990

The ANC and government had negotiations where they established a temporary government to oversee the transition to democracy. The government agreed to release political prisoners. Allowed the democratic election in 1994 that led to Mandela being elected.