Jakubowska - Key Idea 1 Flashcards
What is Divide and Rule?
A policy which is intended to keep someone in a position of power by causing disagreements between people who might otherwise unite against them.
What is Social Darwinism?
The theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals. Now largely discredited, social Darwinism was advocated by Herbert Spencer and others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was used to justify political conservatism, imperialism, and racism.
Mono-cropping
Monocropping is the agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land, in the absence of rotation through other crops or growing multiple crops on the same land (polyculture). Corn, soybeans, and wheat are three common crops often grown using monocropping techniques.
What was the Scramble for Africa?
The “Scramble for Africa” was the invasion, occupation, division, colonization and annexation of African territory by European powers during the period of New Imperialism, between 1881 and 1914. Although the Berlin Conference of 1884 is often seen as the start of the Scramble for Africa.
What are the historical causes of inequality in South Africa?
- When South Africa was under colonial rule, the education system was split into 19 racially and ethnically divided departments. Whites got a better academic education whilst blacks got a short agriculture based education.
- The colonial powers created ‘homelands’ for blacks in the east of the country. These were in underdeveloped rural areas, meaning men had to migrate for work.
What have been the effects of these Historical causes of inequality in South Africa?
- The average white household earns 6 times that of the average black household.
- Whites had 1 teacher per 19 children and blacks had 1 per 408 children.
- Lack of male influence at home creates delinquency in boys which leads to a gang culture.
- Migration of men led to prostitution both in cities and in the homelands, leading to high HIV/Aids levels in the black society.
What are the social causes of inequality in South Africa?
- HIV/Aids disproportionately affects the black community compared with the white community (underlying historical cause)
- HIV/Aids denialism from president Thabo Mbeki (1999-2008) and the prohibition of anti-retro-viral drugs.
What have been the effects of these Social causes of inequality in South Africa?
- In 2001 life expectancy for blacks was 51 compared with 69 for whites
- HIV/Aids accounts for 73% of new orphans
- HIV/Aids is the number one cause of death for black women.
- President Mbeki allowed the disease to keep spreading. 1 in 5 South Africans now have HIV/Aids (2015).
What are the Political causes of inequality in South Africa?
- The government is failing to do enough about inequality. The government reduced spending on education from 19.2% (1995) to 18.2% (2002).
- Failure of the land reform process
- Because schools accept parental funding, there is a large disparity between the quality of education
What have been the effects of these Political causes of inequality in South Africa?
- 20% of black South Africans had no education in 2008.
- Only 1.1% of land has actually changed hands (50% target)
- Schools in affluent white areas provide much higher quality education than schools in peripheral mainly black areas.
What are the Economic causes of inequality in South Africa?
- Heavy focus on capital intensive growth, doesn’t provide jobs for the low-skilled population (mainly black).
- Due to the HIV/Aids epidemic there is a huge pressure on health care systems. (40% of hospital infrastructure needs major repairs or replacing).
What have been the effects of these Economic causes of inequality in South Africa?
- 42% of the black population is unemployed, compared to 4.1% of whites.
- Only the rich can afford quality healthcare.
- Infant mortality for blacks is 80/1000 live births, whilst infant mortality for the white population is just 13/1000 live births.
South Africa development stats?
- GDP per capita - $5700
- Population - 55 million
- GINI Coefficent - 0.660
