apartheid Flashcards
brief explanation of the beginning of apartheid
in the 1948 election, the national party were elected and soon became known as the apartheid government. they were led by DF Malan and heavily supported by afrikaners. they beat the United Party who were previously in power.
why did the national party win the 1948 election?
- the electorate of people who could vote was overwhelmingly white in a country where white was the minority
- afrikaners outnumbered british south africans
- the leader of the united party, Jan Smuts was 75 and increasingly out of touch
- the United Party began to fight amongst themselves after ww2
what were the 9 acts the National Party passed before 1953?
- prohibitions of mixed marriages
- immorality act
- population registration act
- suppression of communism act
- group areas act
- bantu authorities act
- abolition of passes act
- bantu education act
- separate amenities act
what did the prohibition of mixed marriages do?
made marriages between people of different races illegal. pre existing couples had to split up
what did the immorality act do?
- made mixed race sexual relations illegal reducing the likelihood of mixed race children being born
what did the population registration act do?
defined which race each south african belonged to based on family history and bizarre inspections. made it much easier to enforce grand apartheid as people were classified into one race. photographs and fingerprints were also taken
what did the suppression of communism act do?
defined communism as any form of protest giving the govt powers to arrest people and put them on house arrest
what did the group areas act do?
separated eac h town and city into racially based groups. evicted those in the wrong area. whites were given bigger, more fertile, developed areas. others were crowded into bantustans
what did the bantu authorities act do?
black south africans could only live permanently on their tribals reservations. had to travel very long distances to work and live in cramped hostels
what did the abolition of passes act do?
rewrote pass laws so that all non white people had to carry pass books everywhere they went and to enter white areas. it was rigorously enforced - 3million convictions and very frequent stop and searches by police
what did the bantu eduction act do?
moved control of black south african education to ministry for native affairs. different standards of education for black children who were prepared for a more limited life.
what did the separate amenities act do?
divided public services and spaces according to european and non european areas. acted as a constant reminder of the systems of segregation in daily life. prioritised whites
what was the tomlinson report?
a report run by the national partys Commission of Investigation to look into how apartheid might work. estimated each cost and all of the logistics to create a full apartheid system
what was the bantu self government act (1959) ?
put some of the suggestions from the tomlinson report into action. set up 8 self governing “homelands” intended to be:
- completely independent states
- removing large populations of the black south african population to leave whites as the largest racial group.
-a progression of grand apartheid
resistance in 50s - protests by women
aims:
- help black women overcome regulations
- women brewing and selling beer became banned so they wanted change
methods:
- peaceful demonstrations in large cities
- asked to speak with the govt. minister
- formed the black such organisation who burnt 2 beer halls down
results:
- leaders imprisoned
- violence from police
resistance in 50s - Alexandra bus boycotts
aims:
- reduce bus fares again after they had been increased
- africans were made to live in rural areas so relied on buses (cars were too expensive)
methods:
- boycotted buses and walked 32km to work
- bus companies lost profits
results:
- harassed by police
- fare increase removed
resistance in 50s - rural protests
aims:
- protest for larger and more fertile farming areas
- protesting against the cattle killing policy
- increase stock and improve grazing quality
methods:
- chiefs of bantustans refused to cooperate
- protests
results:
- police crushed protestors
- chiefs were removed
resistance in 50s - Defiance Campaign
aims:
- planned by the ANC to defy apartheid
- they wanted equality and a change in the regulations
methods:
- ANC supporters got into “whites only” spaces
- marches and demonstrations
results:
- thousands arrested
- ANC membership rose to 100,00
resistance in 50s - Freedom Charter
aims:
- ANC wanted to give those affected by apartheid a communal voice
- hear the struggles of normal civilians
methods:
- listed demands in a freedom charter
- charter congress met at Kliptown
- charter was read out loud among a huge crowd (democratic assembly)
results:
- most leaders arrested and banned
- gave the ANC a manifesto
- formed the basis of ANC campaign until 1994
ANC history
- African national congress
- oldest anti apartheid organisation c.1912
- started by Sol Plaatje
- ineffective for many years as they tried to work WITH the white government rather than AGAINST
ANC youth league history
- started in 1944
- Anton Lembede was president until 47
- aimed to galvanise the youth to fight against segregation
- advocated for a more militant and defiant approach
Significance of Defiance Campaign - more detail
- first large scale, multi racial protest
- gained media attention throughout south africa
- ANC became recognised as the leading voice of black resistance
- Nelson Mandela began to be recognised as a key leader
- Many were arrested and banned without trial
- the UN recognised apartheid as an international issue
Treason trial
- 156 people arrested
- trial lasted 5 years
- accused of treason and supporting communism
- all charges dropped
Decline of the Youth League
1947:
- Lembede died
- adoption of freedom charter led to splits among key members
1959:
- PAC broke away led by Robert Sobukwe
- Mandela and Sisulu remained mainstream ANC
what did Sobukwe do on the 21 March 1960?
he walked 5km from his home in Soweto to a police station and demanded arrest as he didn’t have his passport book. it was a non violent campaign against apartheid laws.he had previously written a letter to the police commissioner to tell them what he was doing and request that they remain non violent.
what was the police’s response to the peaceful protest at Sharpeville
police responded violently killing 69 people from the crowd. this date later became known as the Sharpeville Massacre.
what were the consequences of the Sharpeville Massacre
- international attention
- sobukwe became a very prominent figure
- sobukwe clause enabled his indefinite incarceration
what did the PAC do on the 30th march 1960?
how did police respond?
they marched to parliament to protest against the apartheid laws and the Sharpeville Massacre.
police were violent, shooting at marchers and arresting many
