Nature & characteristics of Discrimination
"Petty Apartheid"
"Boss Rule"
Associated to the first years after 1948
Goal: ensure complete white domination
Brutal subjugation of the black majority
the firm and decisive manner the government dealt with opposition.
Straight forward racial discrimination
Why did the Bus Boycott of Alexandra happen? What was the impact?
The bus companies tried to raise the cost of the fare. Individuals boycotted until the government had to intervene to subsidize the pay. Ultimately, it demonstrated to the people of South Africa the value & effectiveness of the boycott.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a leader who fought for equality and freedom in South Africa and around the world. His legacy includes:
"Grand Apartheid"
Began in the late 1950s
More ideologically “sophisticated”
Goal: complete territorial segregation of South Africa - Different Peoples = different jurisdiction
By arguing that Africans would be allowed to achieve their full independence, it sought moral legitimacy for the apartheid system due to the hostile global community
What was the Defiance Campaign and its impact?
a planned program of disobedience aimed at intentionally and peacefully breaking apartheid laws and grew opposition/the movement and spread the news worldwide what was happening in SA
African National Congress (ANC)
What was the Population Registration Act of 1950 and what impact did it have on people?
In 1950 two key pieces of legislation, the Population Registration Act and the Group Areas Act were passed. These required that people be strictly classified by racial group, and that those classifications determine where they could live and work.
What was the Freedom Charter? What was its significance?
the document outlining the aspirational principles of freedom and democracy in South Africa -- ultimately became adopted into parts of the South African Constitution of 1996.
South African Communist Party (SACP)
From its foundation in the 1920s, the South African Communist Party took up the fight against racism as a central part of its political vision.
What was the Separate Amenities Act of 1953 and what impact did it have on people?
The Separate Amenities Act of 1953, also known as the "Reservation of Separate Amenities Act," was a South African law that legalized the segregation of public facilities based on race, essentially codifying the apartheid system by allowing for separate entrances, bathrooms, seating, and other amenities for different racial groups, with the quality of facilities for non-white people often being significantly inferior to those provided for white people; this had a deeply discriminatory and isolating impact on the lives of non-white South Africans, further reinforcing the inequalities of apartheid.
What was the Sharpeville Massacre? What happened as a result of the massacre?
On March 21, 1960, police officers in a Black township in South Africa opened fire on a group of people peacefully protesting oppressive laws. Sixty‐nine protestors were killed.
Increased international awareness:
The massacre brought significant global attention to the brutality of apartheid, leading to increased international pressure on the South African government to end the system.
Banned political parties:
The South African government responded by banning the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), which organized the protest, and further restricted the activities of the African National Congress (ANC).
Growth of the anti-apartheid movement:
The event galvanized the anti-apartheid movement both within South Africa and internationally, leading to increased activism and protests against apartheid.
Symbolic significance:
Sharpeville became a powerful symbol of the struggle against apartheid, with the day of the massacre (March 21) later commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa.
Decision to move to armed resistance.
MK (Umkhonto we Sizwe - “Spear of the Nation”
was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC), founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre
In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refers to an under-developed, racially segregated urban area, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-whites, namely Black Africans, Coloureds and Indians. Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities.
What was the Rivonia Trial and what was its impact?
Often referred to as “the trial that changed South Africa,” it set off a chain of events that eventually ended apartheid and rang in democracy and freedom
What was the purpose of Bantu Education? What impact did it have on people?
Bantu education served the interests of white supremacy. It denied black people access to the same educational opportunities and resources enjoyed by white South Africans. Bantu education denigrated black people's history, culture, and identity. It promoted myths and racial stereotypes in its curricula and textbooks.
What was the Bantustan system?
A "Bantustan" was a system in apartheid South Africa where the government designated specific territories as "homelands" for the country's Black African population, essentially creating segregated, pseudo-independent states based on ethnicity, with the goal of forcibly relocating Black people from urban areas and stripping them of their South African citizenship, effectively excluding them from the political system; the term is widely considered derogatory due to its association with the oppressive apartheid policies.
Why did the South African government implement the Bantustan system?
The South African government implemented the Bantustan system as a key part of its apartheid policy, aiming to forcibly segregate the Black population by creating separate "homelands" based on ethnicity, effectively stripping them of their South African citizenship and political rights within the country, while maintaining white dominance in the main areas of South Africa; essentially, it was a strategy to geographically isolate and politically marginalize the Black population.
What were the pass laws? How did pass laws impact participation in protest movements?