Early apartheid (pre-1948-54) EID Flashcards
events, dates, info
population and proportion of races
around 12,000,000
69% African
21% White
8% Coloured
why SA was place to stay
cape front - trade route
diamonds and gold
black workers in mines
To staff the mines, a migrant labour system was established where black men would be employed to work in the mines. Black men were made to live in male-only compounds. The white government limited black movement to the white cities; to gain access, black men needed a pass.
context of Boer war
fight between British and Dutch over land, eventual blood feud.
made up and created union of SA - only white voting, Afrikaneer dominant
early racist policies
The 1913 Land Act: This act passed by the Afrikaner controlled Union Government forbade Blacks from owing land except on native reserves.
1932 Native Economic Commission and the 1930s in general: This commission justified the segregation of black and white people along racial lines. It was argued that black people were different to white people, and would be better served living in their own native areas with their own leaders. More jobs were increasingly being reserved for white people too, with an added emphasis on the control of black people’s movements into and out of white towns. Black townships were built away from city centres to house black people.
Black resistance before 1948
Was largely ineffective because:
- Black people did not consider themselves a single group; they were not united in opposition
- Few were well educated
- Whites controlled the army and the police force.
early ANC
Nevertheless the South African Native National Congress was formed in 1912. It changed its name to the African National Congress (ANC) in 1923. The ANC followed peaceful methods and was a relatively ineffective force. However in the 1940s the organisation began to grow in strength.
Dr A.B. Xuma reorganised the ANC. Walter Sisulu was a great organiser and was an active trade unionst (supporting workers’ rights).
Nelson Mandela had a strong educational background and convinced political beliefs. He was a good organiser and along with Oliver Tambo set up a legal practice to defend black people.
emergence of NP + leader
DF Malan
mainly white electorate therefore appealed to whites:
-fear of black migration to cities and away from rural areas (which had largest no. of seats)
-outnumbered and losing power
Malan’s opponent for the 1948 election, believed tentatively in allowing black people to move to more townships near cities to work in white-owned factories. His party’s argument was that total separation was not possible and would not last, even if he would have liked this too. Smuts was also old 75 in 1945.
fear of communism - called UP communist and proposed communist suppressing regime
post WWII industrialisation lead to urbanisation
Dr A.B. Xuma
- president of ANC in 1940s
- revived ANC
- reorganised ANC
- secured finances
- attracted younger members
Anton Lembede
- schoolteacher from a peasant family
- driving force of youth league of ANC
Walter Sisulu
- self-educated from a peasant background
- worked in mines
- trade unionist
- good organiser
Nelson Mandela
- son of a chief
- attended mission school and Fort Hare university
- worked in mines but aimed to be lawyer
- commanding personality
- good at identifying effective actions
Oliver Tambo
- attended fort hare university
- from a peasant family
- teacher but then set up law firm with Mandela
- quiet and thoughtful - good organiser
Fagan Commission
- commissioned by Jan Smuts (head of UP)
- argued total segregation would never work
- industry needed a black population permanently living near workplaces
- migrant labour discouraged - wanted Black families to live in controlled townships
- did not advocate use of native reserves as they were overcrowded
Sauer Commission
- commissioned by Daniel Malan (head of NP)
- argued that total apartheid was the only way forward
- equality and mixing = ‘suicide of white people’
- migrant labour system to continue supported by pass laws
- reserves to continue being ‘real’ homes of black population
- black people living in towns treated as visitors with no political rights - numbers carefully controlled
when and what was the prohibition of mixed marriages act
1949 - meant that people of different races couldn’t legally marry
impact of prohibition of mixed marriages act
people had to split up, new marriages couldn’t be made
when and what was immorality act
1950 - interracial sexual relations were illegal
impact of immorality act
fewer mixed race children born
when and what was the population registration act
1950 - categorised people as whites coloureds black and indians by nails skin and hair
impact of population registration act
basis for other laws, opposition from many in cape coloured as the act prevented them from claiming they were white
When and wha was the suppression of communism act
1950 - Defined communism as any form of unrest/protest. Gave the government powers to arrest and hold people without charge, to ‘ban’ them so that they could not meet others or take part in politics, or to put them under house arrest.
Impact of suppression of communism act
This was not officially an apartheid law, but was used as such due to the vagueness of how it defined communism.
Any anti-apartheid critic/campaigner was immediately branded a communist and therefore banned and/or put under house arrest. One interesting side effect was that it pushed the South African Communist Party (SACP)
closer to the ANC, something we shall see come back later.
When and what was group areas act
1950 - Each town or city was separated into “White”,
“Coloured” or “Black” areas. Forcibly evicted those in ‘wrong’ areas.
