South Africa Flashcards
What was the result of WWII, specifically concerning the Holocaust?
The United Nations Organisation
What was the goal of the UN?
To prevent wars
To enforce Human Rights
What happened at the Geneva Convention?
International human rights were drawn up, particularly concerning prisoners
What is the UDHR?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
What was apartheid?
A system of government that took racial beliefs and turned them into legislation. It was present in South Africa. It caused segregation between black and white South Africans. Favour was given to whites and discrimination against blacks existed.
What was the main cause of Apartheid?
Racial superiority
What did Apartheid ideology say?
That light-skinned people are superior to dark-skinned people
Why was Apartheid introduced?
To maintain the strength of the white people
Why did Europeans feel that they were superior?
They had more technology
They used the Africans as slaves
What is segregation?
Separation
What does legislation mean?
Law
What happened to SA in 1910?
Became a Union
Used to be a British colony
Four provinces were established
What were the four provinces in 1910?
Afrikaans: Transvaal Orange Free State English: Natal Cape
What was the Natives Land Act of 1913?
It put apart separate pieces of land for black people
They were called black reserves
Whites got most of the land
What happened to SA in 1912?
Formation of S.A.N.NC
What percentage of South Africa was white?
20%
What happened to SA in 1913?
Land Act
13% of the land was given to Black people
How much of the land did black people have before the Land Act?
7%
What happened to SA in 1914-1918?
WWI
SA participated on the side of Britain
Even sent black soldiers
S.A.N.N.C sent a representative to the ToV
What happened to SA in the 1920’s?
Government parties came into power: United Party (run by Jan Smuts) National Party (run by Hertzog)
What happened to SA in 1939-1945?
WWII SA was involved on the side of Britain Many Afrikaaners agreed with Hitler Human Rights began to be recognised South Africa ignored these
What happened in South Africa in 1948?
The National Party came into power and instituted Apartheid
Were other non-white people discriminated against?
Yes, but not as badly as Black South Africans
Who was the leader of the National Party?
D.F. Malan
How long was the National Party in power?
1948-1994
How was the name Soweto made?
SOuth
WEstern
TOwnship
How were coloured people treated?
They were treated slightly better than blacks, because they spoke Afrikaans
How were Indian people treated?
They were treated even better than the coloureds, because they were a minority (less of a threat) and they were good businessmen
What was the apartheid system built on?
Racism
What is race?
Skin colour caused by ethnicity
How do racists classify people?
By skin colour
What is racism?
The false idea that some groups of people are better than others, because of the colour of their skin
Where did all humans descend from?
Africa
What do racists believe?
That it is okay to exclude people because of their race
Is behaviour inherited?
No, it is learned
What caused the cruel behaviour in South Africa?
The theory of one race being superior to another
The disregard of human rights
How were people classified under Apartheid?
Whites
Non-whites
How were non-whites classified?
Native/Bantu (black)
Coloured
Indian
Who were coloured people?
People who had both European and Bantu ancestry
They were neither white nor black
How were blacks discriminated against in terms of jobs?
White people got paid more
They were favoured
Whites were given more skilled jobs
What was a dompas?
Documentation that all African males had to carry around with them
What did the dompas do?
It controlled where blacks could be
And how long they could be there
What happened if you didn’t have a dompas?
A policeman could ask for your pass whenever he wanted
He could arrest you if you didn’t have it
What was the government of Apartheid like?
White only
Governed by the National Party
What did the 148 laws passed by the National Party aim to do?
Increase the power and living standards of whites
Increase racial segregation
Control the movement of black people
What were the eight main Apartheid laws?
Separate Amenities Act Suppression of Communism Act and the Terrorism Act Bantu Education Act Bantu Self Government Act Population Registration Act Passes Act Group Areas Act Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and the Immorality Act
What did this act do:
Separate Amenities Act?
Beaches, parks, toilets and nearly all public amenities were segregated.
Whites were allowed to use the best facilities
What did this act do:
The Suppression of Communism Act and the Terrorism Act?
Banned any political organisation that the National Party did not like. They were labelled communists or terrorists. Many people were arrested, detained and tortured without trial.
What did this act do:
Bantu Education Act?
Black children received an inferior education
What did this act do:
Bantu Self Government Act?
This set up a system of ‘homelands’ or Bantustans for Africans.
What did this act do:
Population Registration Act?
Classified South Africans into racial groups.
What did this act do:
Passes Act?
African men had to carry reference books, which controlled their movement between urban and rural areas.
What did this act do:
Group Areas Act?
Special areas were set aside as residential and business areas for races. Many people were forced to move to these areas.
What did this act do:
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and the Immorality Act?
Forbade marriages between blacks and whites
Who was the Prime Minister in the 1960s?
H F Verwoerd
What were the Bantustans?
The reserves created in 1913 were made into ten separate homelands. They were called Bantustans
How were the people classified into Bantustans?
By the language that they spoke
Why were the Bantustans created?
To allow black South Africans to vote for their own leaders. The Bantustans were supposedly independent countries, but they were not internationally recognised
What did H F Verwoerd aim to achieve through the Bantustans?
He wanted to show the world that South Africa was a democratic country, but whites and blacks were still separated
What were the ten Bantustans?
Venda Ciskei Bophuthatswana Transkei Gazankulu KwaZulu KaNgwane Lebowa KwaNdebele Qwa Qwa
How did the Bantustans influence ordinary people?
It forced many people to move
There were many forced removals
What were the Bantustans like?
They were poverty stricken
Had almost no facilities
How did Bantustans further divide the people?
Men had to leave to try and find work
Many people were separated from their families
How was Apartheid resisted in the 1950s?
Passively
What was the PAC?
Pan-Africanist Congress
How was the PAC formed?
Africanists broke away from the ANC
Who was the first president of the PAC?
Robert Sobukwe
What did the PAC believe?
That the struggle against Apartheid was only for Africans
They did not want to work with white people
Why did the PAC believe this?
They thought that white people had too much to lose to be reliable allies
What were the colours of the ANC and PAC?
Black
Green
Gold
What did the colours represent?
Green- vitality of Africa
Yellow- wealth
Black- the colour of its people
How do we know that Robert Sobukwe was educated?
He studied at Fort Hare University
He became a lecturer
He became a teacher
What were the demonstrations at Sharpeville about?
The dompas
What does dompas mean?
Stupid pass
What was the purpose of the dompas?
To show that Africans were temporary travellers in white South Africa
Who was the main organiser of the Sharpeville demonstrations?
The PAC
What was the plan for Sharpeville demonstrations?
Demonstrators would burn their pass books, or leave them at home
They would present themselves for arrest
They would flood the jails and disable the pass book system
What actually happened at Sharpeville?
The police spooked at the large crowd and opened fire
What injuries were caused by the Sharpeville massacre?
69 dead
180 wounded
Most were shot in the back as they tried to run away
Were the crowds at Sharpeville armed?
The police say yes, the journalists say no. There is also a lot of controversy as to the number of protestors. The crowd allegedly threw stones
Was the Sharpeville protest supposed to be violent?
No
Who was Philip Kgosana?
A PAC member from Pretoria
Why was the Langa march organised?
To try and counteract police brutality
What caused the police brutality?
Tension after Sharpeville
Caused a strike
Police tried to force people to work
How did the Langa march happen?
30000 people led by Philip Kgosana Well controlled Kgosana spoke to the police chief Asked for an audience with the Minister of Justice Kgosana sent the crowd home
What was the result of the Langa march?
Kgosana was tricked
He was arrested
He fled into exile when let out on bail
What were the short term consequences of the Sharpeville and Langa demonstrations?
Repression increased and caused a state of emergency International pressure The arrest of Robert Sobukwe Unlawful Organisation Act Violent protests
What was the international pressure?
The media around the world got hold of information about what was happening in South Africa
What did the international pressure cause?
A worldwide boycott
What was the Unlawful Organisations Act?
It banned the ANC and PAC
What was the result of the Unlawful Organisations Act?
Many party leaders fled into exile
What happened when Robert Sobukwe got arrested?
He served his sentence
A new clause was created to keep him in jail
What clause kept Robert Sobukwe in jail?
The Sobukwe Clause
How did the resistance turn to violence?
The ANC and PAC created armed wings
How did the armed wings of the PAC and ANC become armed?
They went to other countries and got training
Which racial group got better facilities?
Whites
How was Apartheid different from racism?
It now became a part of South Africa’s legislation
Who did the Apartheid system suppress the most?
The black people
What was the armed wing of the ANC called?
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK)
What does Umkhonto we Sizwe mean?
Spear of the nation
What was the armed wing of the PAC called?
POQO
What did MK do?
They targeted non-human targets
Where was Nelson Mandela at this point?
He was part of MK
What did POQO do?
They didn’t bother to avoid loss of life
They were much more radical than MK
What happened to leaders of the PAC?
They were:
Hanged
Exiled
Arrested
Why were the leaders of the PAC more persecuted?
POQO was more of a threat than MK
What effect did the persecution of the PAC leaders have on the organisation?
It was weakened
What were the long term consequences of the Langa and Sharpeville demonstrations?
General Law Amendment Act
Arrest of MK leaders
The Rivonia Trial
What was the General Law Amendment Act?
It was a law which allowed the government to detain people for 90 days without charging them and without allowing them to get a lawyer.
They were often placed in solitary confinement.
The police could re-arrest them after the 90 days were up.
Where were the secret headquarters of MK?
At Liliesleaf Farm
How were the leaders of MK arrested?
Liliesleaf farm was raided by the police and the leaders were found there
What was the Rivonia trial?
It was when Nelson Mandela, along with the leaders arrested at Liliesleaf, were tried and charged
What did Nelson Mandela do at the Rivonia Trial?
When he was due to defend himself, he made a statement. It was four hours long. He was trained as a lawyer.
What were the results of the Rivonia Trial?
Eight out of eleven people were sentenced to life imprisonment, mostly on Robben Island. Three were released and fled the country.
Who was Steve Biko?
He started the BC
What was the BC?
The Black Consciousness movement
What was the idea behind the Black Consciousness movement?
That black people would psychologically strengthen themselves
What happened to Steve Biko?
He was banned
What did it mean to be banned?
He could only speak to one person at a time
No one could acknowledge his existence
What was the Soweto uprising about?
Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools
Who led the Soweto uprising?
Students
What was the long term cause of the Soweto uprising?
The Bantu Education Act
What was Radio Freedom?
A shortwave broadcast operating from Tanzania
It spread the ideas of the ANC
What influence did other countries have on South Africa in 1973 and 1974?
Angola and Mozambique won their independence
It gave South Africans hope
Who was Teboho Mashinini?
He was the leader of the SSRC
What was Mashinini’s nickname?
Tsietsi
What does Tsietsi mean?
Trouble in Sesotho
How did Tsietsi become the leader of the SSRC?
His political views were influenced by one of his teachers
He was a passionate leader
He was the chairperson of his debating team
What was the SSRC?
Soweto Students Representative Council
How did the SSRC come to be?
500 students met in a Community Hall
They decided to organise a march
What happened to Teboho after the March?
He was harassed by the police, so he fled into exile in Botswana
What did the BCM do?
Told black people to realise their human dignity and self worth
Teach people to believe in their blackness
What did the BCM believe would change Apartheid?
Psychological belief
Who was part of the BCM?
Anyone who was oppressed by the Apartheid system
Coloureds, Natives, Indians
Where did the BCM begin?
In universities
How did BCM spread?
Biko set up self-help clinics
He started SASO
What was SASO?
The South African Student Organisation
Included all races
How did Biko learn of politics?
His brother was arrested for being a supposed member of the PAC
Why did political parties support the BCM?
It was a movement, not an organisation
What did Bantu Education tell black people?
They were only fit for unskilled labour
They were only given the most basic education
The white students got more facilities, better teachers and better investment
Why did Afrikaans cause the Soweto uprising?
It was made the medium of instruction
It was difficult for teachers and students to learn
What day did the Soweto Riots take place on?
16 June 1976
Became youth day
What was the Soweto march like?
They marched towards Orlando Soccer Stadium
Holding placards
The crowd grew as it went along
What happened at the Soweto Riots?
The police opened fire on the school children
How did the world hear of the Soweto Riots?
A famous photograph of Hector Pieterson
He was shot and killed
It became an iconic picture
Who was the first person to die at the Soweto Uprising?
Hastings Ndlovu
Who was the leader of the underground PAC in Soweto?
Zephaniah Mothopeng
What happened soon after the Soweto Riots?
More townships rebelled
What happened on 6 July 1976?
The Afrikaans as the Medium of instruction Act was repealed
What is a water shed moment?
An event that changes history
How did the government react to the riots?
More repression
More military force
More power given to the Minister of Justice
Publications were banned
What happened to Steve Biko?
He was tortured to death
He became known as a martyr
