Apartheid Study Notes

APARTHEID

Overview of Apartheid

  • Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa, enforced by the National Party government from 1948 to 1994.

  • Aimed to maintain white supremacy over the non-white population in South Africa.

  • The policy created a racial hierarchy based on the belief that it was God's wish for different races to remain separated.

Historical Background

  • Early 20th Century:   - 1912: Formation of the African National Congress (ANC).   - 1994: Official end of apartheid.   - Major phases: 1940s to 1980s, culminating in the end of formal apartheid in 1994.

Key Concepts and Impacts of Apartheid

  • Key Questions:   - What form and characteristics did discrimination take under apartheid?   - How did the apartheid system impact the lives of South Africans?

Timeline of Significant Events

  • 1910: Establishment of the Union of South Africa.

  • 1912: Formation of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), renamed ANC in 1923.

  • 1913: Introduction of the Native Land Act.

  • 1960: Sharpeville Massacre and declaration of a state of emergency; ANC and PAC banned.

  • 1964: Rivonia Trial leading to imprisonment of Mandela and other leaders…

Pre-Colonial and Colonial History

  • Before European Colonization:   - Indigenous Bantu groups and Khoisan peoples inhabited the region.

  • Arrival of Dutch Colonists (1652):   - Establishment of the Dutch East India Company led to slave labor.

  • Impact of the British:   - Colonization and the establishment of two Boer republics: Transvaal and the Orange Free State during the Great Trek.

Segregation Laws Established by Apartheid

  • Various acts contributed to the enforcement of apartheid:   - 1911 Mines and Works Act: Restricted skilled occupations to whites.   - 1913 Native Land Act: Denied blacks ownership of land outside designated homelands, which constituted 7.5% of land allocation for 66% of the population.   - 1950 Population Registration Act: Classified all citizens by race and created the basis for racial segregation.

  • Many more acts continued to institutionalize racial discrimination and disenfranchisement.

Political Structure Under Apartheid

  • Major political parties involved:   - The National Party (NP): Advocated for apartheid; came to power in 1948.   - The United Party: Allied with British interests; opposed strict segregation.

  • Key Figures:   - D. F. Malan: First Prime Minister under apartheid.   - Hendrik Verwoerd: Architect of apartheid policies.

Resistance to Apartheid

  • ANC and Nelson Mandela:   - ANC led by Mandela aimed to dismantle apartheid through both peaceful and militant approaches, including the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

  • Defiance Campaign (1952): Non-violent protests against apartheid laws, leading to mass arrests.

  • The Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 prompted a shift in strategy by the ANC to armed resistance.

Education and Economic Disparities

  • Bantu Education Act (1953): Introduced an inferior educational system for black students, aimed at making them subservient to white job markets.

  • Severe restrictions on the quality of education provided to non-whites which perpetuated economic inequality.

Bantustan System (Homeland Policy)

  • Attempted to segregate black South Africans into designated areas termed "Bantustans."

  • These areas were economically unviable and politically recognized as independent, leading to further disenfranchisement of black citizens.

Major Events Leading to the End of Apartheid

  • 1990: Release of Nelson Mandela; ANC legalized.

  • 1992: Voter referendum in favor of ending apartheid.

  • 1994: First multiracial elections; Mandela becomes President.