South Africa Flashcards
how was the population divided?
Asian: Indian
Most people are Africans however white people are in charge. No representation of the main section of society.
how did Apartheid rise?
Some believe it is a 20th century evolution
Other date origin to 17th century with attitudes of Dutch and British soldiers
Rhodes: “must find new lands” “obtain raw materials” “exploit the cheap slave labour” “dumping ground for the surplus goods produced in our factories”
what were influences on Apartheid?
Expansion of mining: diamonds, gold
Colonial Conquest: way to show power
The agency of individuals:
pre-colonisation, what were the groups that were there and who came?
San and Khoi- indigenous people
Zulu- A minor clan who came from south eastern SA
Bantu- Migrant people from central Africa
Griqua- mixed race
Boer- Dutch speaking migrants who gradually migrated inland from the cape
what happened in 1652?
Prior to this, Dutch had explored by people like Basco Di Game
Dutch Settlement by Jan van Reibeeck of the Dutch East India Company in 1952
what was the Dutch East India Company? when was it established? what power did they have?
Established in 1602
State General of Netherlands granted 21-year monopoly to carry out trade activities
First multinational company
First to issue stock
Could wage war, imprison, execute, negotiate treaties, strike its own coins, establish colonies
what were the impacts of colonial conquest? when did the Dutch and British come?
Dutch in 1652 and British in 1795
Similar to colonies like Australia
An underclass of farm workers and domestic servers was developed from native people
No decent wage and were used as slaves, imported from Angola, Mozambique, Madagascar and South East Asia
how were indigenous people and slaves treated?
Slaves were sold and stolen
don’t have much information of this
what was the case of Saarjie Baartman?
Born to Khosian family in East Cape
Orphaned in a commando raid
Name is diminutive of Sarah- familiarity or contempt
Her birth name is unknown
May have been a slave of Dutch farmer
Brother of Peter Cezar, Hendrik Cezar suggested going to England
Used to compare ‘normal’ European body to ‘abnormal’ bodies
Put on show in a freak show
what happened in 1867? how did this lead to racism? what were passes?
The discovery of diamonds and gold
Transformed society from an agrarian culture to an industrial economy
Quick spread of European colonisation
Established racist laws
Pass: identification papers for Africans with racial classification, including information if employment and history. If you go out of area, you have committed a crime.
what were the Boer Wars?
(1880-1902)
British fought to posses several free republics (Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State)
They were successful and both republics were annexed
Resulted in the “union” (later republic) of South Africa
White power was prioritised over black human rights
what was the natives land act? when was it?what happened to indigenous people?
Natives Land Act 1913
93% of land to whites and then 87% in 1930
Prevented Africans (2/3 of population) to have land
Created reserves- forerunner of Bantustans and homelands
Life on rural reserves was harsh. Many had to migrate to have jobs in cities and mines- only way to pay colonial taxes and live
what was the impact of urbanisation?
People moves inwards to a central area
what was the 1930s legislation?
Amendments to the Masters and Servants Act legalises whipping
Repressive Legislation aimed at Indian and Coloured South Africans
The Herzog Bills (1936) further remove voting rights from the few Africans that had them
why was there apartheid?
Preserve white supremacy Separate and allow development or disappearance Preserve white values and culture Expand and control power Economic advancement Cheap labour Ethnic dislike
what factors causes apartheid?
Political
Ideological
Economic
what were economic factors of apartheid?
mines, farmed and factories depend on cheap labour
White pwned businesses supported political parties that adopted racist policies
Black domestic servants
People like women, children, sick and elderly were deemed unnecessary for the economy and put in homelands
what era was described as the petty apartheid?
1950s were described as the era of the ‘petty apartheid’
Nationalists passed many new racist laws similar to Jim Crow
Unequal social order
what was the 1953 reservation of Seperate Amenities Act?
public facilities were segregated eg. Post offices, beaches, stadiums, parks, toilets, cemeteries, buses and trains
what was the popular registration Act?
1950
Required people were registered as four distinct racial groups: white, coloured, Bantu (black African), and other
Pillar of the Apartheid
Race was reflected by a number
Social rights, political rights, educational status were largely determined by the group they belonged to
An office for the face classification- oversaw classification process. Carried out using outer appearance, general acceptance and social standing.
what were problems with the popular registration Act?
Could be interpreted differently depending on who is looking at it
Some characteristics can be held by white people
Has links to Nazism
It is a pseudo science- no real fact to base it on
Divides society and promotes racism
Has links to the white Australia policy
what was the pencil test? when did it end?
Pencil is pushed through. How easily it come out determines whether Afro-hair is present and whether you have passed or failed
Ended with Apartheid in 1994.
what was the group Areas Act?
Residential segregation
On outskirts of towns
Government bulldozed vibrant, racially mixed areas such as Johannesburg and District Six in Cape Town
What is the Bantu Education Act?
Make it seem equal so the world does not react
Two education systems- one for white and one for africans
Non-whites were prevented from university
Cannot qualify for better jobs
Low paid, hard working jobs
Cut down on intellectual black people to break the system
Stories like Black Beauty get banned
what was the Apartheid in the 1960s like?
New policy
Created Bantustans of Homelands out of the “Tribal Reserves” carved out by the 1913 Land Act
Between 1960 and 1985, 3.5 million Africans were removed.
Functioned as reservoirs for cheap labour.
Denied citizenship.
what were bantustans?
Located in unproductive areas
Poverty
Violence
when did youth begin growing in opposition?
Unrest in factories caused strikes in January 1973 in Durban
Emergence of independent labour unions
Black consciousness movement
Mobilisation of youth
who was Stephen Biko? what did he believe?
Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life
Realised need for black people to rally against the cause of oppression
“the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed”
Sought to infuse the black community with as sense of pride
what was Biko and the Black Consciousness movement?
In 1969 students at a university created a black student organisation, the South African Students Organisation (SASO)
Beginning of Black Consciousness Movement
Sought to create a felling of self-worth
Stressed self-reliance and return to culture and values
Black was defined as anyone of colour who suffered under the apartheid
what was the Sowete Upriding in 1976?
June 16
Protests by school kids against learning Afrikaans
Police fire
Hector Peterson, 13, is first to die of about 500 in following months
Radicalised youth go into exile and revitalise ANC and PAC
how did Biko’s Death occur?
Detained by police in August 18 1976 Died in detention on September 12 Apparently died on a hunger strike 20th person to die in police custody Investigations found he died of brain damage and injuries International outcry
what happened after 1976?
Many black people left for neighbouring countries to join the armed struggle
Some attended ANC’s Solomon Mahlangu Freedom School in Tanzania where politics and education were taught
ANC’s military wing grew and carried out guerrilla activities inside SA
what did the town Pretoria do?
Pretoria pursued a divide and rule strategy especially through support from homelands
Between 1976 and 1981 it granted Transkei, Ciskei, Boputhatswana and Venda a limited independence which was not internationally recognised
By 1990s conflict caused more than 10,000 deaths
how was P.W Botha Successful?
Tried to reform as a result of international pressure Reform legislation of black trade unions, accept some permanent black urbanisation, the repudiation of the job colour bar, the fostering of growth of small black middle class But the unions facilitated greater black activism which lead to more violence
what was the government reform?
Tricameral parliament
The house of assembly (white)
The house of representatives (coloured)
The house of delegates (Indian)
Botha made a referendum which in Nov 1983 had 70% in favour of parliament reforms
Liberation movement, United Democratic Front, had campaigns to dissuade non-whites from voting for house of reps and delegates
People who voted were called sellouts and puppets
what was the 1985 Rubicon speech?
Botha was expected to give a “crossing of the rubicon” speech to announce break with apartheid
Vigorously defended it
Prompted increased international sanctions and isolation that threatened SA economy
what were the sanctions and why?
Financial ones were successful
Banks ceased giving loans which caused a plunge in currency
1986 US, Europe and British Commonwealth imposed sanctions
Oil and arms still got in secretly
Cultural and sporting boycotts
what happened Sep 1989?
de Klerk is elected president.
what happened 2nd Feb 1990?
de Klerk lifts ban on ANC.
what happened 4th May 1990?
ANC and the government agreed to the Groote Schuur Minute, which featured a commitment to end the violence.
what happened 11th feb 1991?
Mandela related from prison.
what happened 17th June 1991?
Population Registration act is repealed.
what happened between 1991-94?
a new constitution was designed and a plan for transition developed
what happened in April 1994?
South Africa held two days of peaceful elections, with millions of black South Africans voting in a national election for the first time. The ANC won a resounding victory, winning all provinces except Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, but just failing to reach the two-thirds majority to enable it to rewrite the constitution by itself.
what happened in May 1994?
10th May Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the new president of South Africa.
why did apartheid end?
New President Frederick Willem de Klerk Economic sanctions Switch from violence to negotiation. Individuals: Mandela, Tutu Resistance Constitutional End of cold war
who was De Klerk?
More moderate than Botha.
Was prepared to negotiate.
who were key individuals?
Nelson Mandela had abilities of statesmanship, as well as a democratic vision based on reconciliation and inclusiveness.
He became a celebrity, winning with de Klerk the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.
De Klerk’s decision to break with the past and negotiate with the ANC.
Those who forged the peace process include a diverse group of remarkable personalities including Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
why was their resistance to the end?
Decades of multi-faceted popular resistance had undermined South Africa’s political and economic viability The rapid growth and increasing power of black labour unions and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 1980s weakened the apartheid state and made white supremacy impossible to maintain. If the economy were to survive, the working class and the rising black middle class required full political rights.
describe the switch from violence to negotiations
There were precedents for this switch from revolt and violence to negotiations.
The ANC only turned to armed struggle in 1961 as a very last resort when it became obvious that the apartheid government would never negotiate unless forced to do so.
From its birth in 1912, the ANC had been asking white South Africans simply to negotiate with the majority of South Africans on an equal footing as human beings with full citizenship rights.
The real war aim of the ANC had always been to negotiate from the strength of democratic support; this goal had been achieved by 1990.
how did the constitution fix things?
The turn to constitutionalism was crucial in facilitating political change in the early 1990s.
At the heart of the success of negotiations were the compromises made on all sides to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy.
The law and the courts offered a way out of political deadlock, helping reconcile seemingly irreconcilable political opponents by giving each a stake in the new South Africa.
The main political parties made fundamental compromises that provided stability during the transitional period: blacks gained political power while whites retained economic power.
