2. Why Was The National Party Victorious In 1948? Flashcards
What were Afrikaner votes in 1938, on the eve of Second World War?
Equally split between the United party (smuts and hertzog) and the national party (Milan)
What did parliament got to do In 1939?
Support the British war effort and hertz of resigned from the United party, leaving smuts in control.
What was afrikaners as a volk?
Afrikaners as a people. They had a distinct identity separate from other South Africans.
This gained increasing political currency after 1939.
Who were the broederbond?
Means band of brothers. A secretly exclusive male Afrikaner Calvinist organisation dedicated to the advancement of Afrikaner interests.
What did the broederbond do?
Provide ideological direction in favour of a Christian, nationalist republican outlook.
Initiated an economic movement to promote Afrikaner business so that nationalist interests were advanced on this, as well as cultural and political fronts
What affect did religious institutions being at the heart of nationalism mean?
Mostly believed in Calvinist Dutch reformed churches which supported the idea of an autonomous volk.
They believed white and black people played a different part in God’s plan. This meant the boundaries between races had to be maintained to avoid racial impurity that would sabotage divine designs. Intermarrying between races was a key concern for many votes in 1948.
Why did many Afrikaner nationalists oppose the decision to go to war in 1948?
They didn’t want to fight for the British empire and Alison some had fascist sympathies.
What did afrikaners do in response to being in the war?
A mass anti-war movement, the ossewabrandwag and had 300,000 members at its peak.
They formed shooting associations and staged mass rallies.
Critics compared them with the nazis and leaders were influenced by German leaders.
After the war, many voted for Malan.
What did the Afrikaner influence within society mean for the election?
It provided a formidable base to contest the election
Why were colonial empires dismantled in the two decades from 1947?
Following the second works war, the major powers articulated a concern for human rights and the war against fascism and the holocaust showed a growing consensus that all people had a right to self determination and basic human rights.
What did SA becoming independent mean?
The policies of segregation.
Why did white South Africans find international sympathy?
They stood for western, Christian and anti-communist values.
Why and in what ways did smuts act on equality before the election?
- he payed a major role of the formation of the un and his united party had more liberal policies
- he was not a liberal and shared the racial attitude of his afrikaner peers but he was sensible and if the industry needed more black workers he would do this.
- the minister of health advocates An urgent expansion of the health services which would serve both white and blacks.
What happened due developments Smuts was putting in place being threatening to insecure whites?
In the 1948 election campaign, Afrikaner nationalists harnessed everyday racism in promoting fear of the black danger.
They opposed flooding of African people into the cities where they competed for jobs with whites
Why did malan appeal to his already major supporters in the countryside?
Blacks were streaming to cities were there were more jobs creating a shortage of farmers
