South Africa Theme 1 - What Was The Respnse To Apartheid Flashcards
What was the great trek
The great trek of 1835-1854 was a movement of boers north in search of land where they could establish their own homeland, independent of British rule.
The trekkers were determined to establish their own land, free of British influence and laws.
What was the battle of blood river
16th December 1838 in natal a battle occurs between Zulu people and the boers over the right to settle land. 3 day battle ended with Boer victory.
16 December became known as dingans day and remained a rallying point of Afrikaner nationalism
What was the broederbond
Formed in 1918 and was a society dedicated to uniting and supporting afrikaners
Every single national party PM was a member of
• secret handshake
• tried to ensure afrikaners were promoted over British whites
• at meetings SA flag spread over and used to cover a British flag
What was santam and Sanlam
In 1918 wealthy afrikaners helped to set up an Afrikaner insurance and saving company called santam and a sanlam. Their aim was to help Afrikaners start up their own business, without having to rely on British-controlled banks.
What were the two main political parties and who were their leaders
The united party - Jan smuts
The national party - DF malan
What were the means of publishing
Magazine called die huidgenoot intended to reach ordinary Afrikaners
Die burger, largest daily newspaper published in Africans
Die transvaler, also an Afrikaner newspaper
What was the ossewabrandwag and the stormjaers
Established in the model of hitlers national socialist movement movement, its members reached 300k by 1939, swore loyalty to the people and the people’s leader.
The stormjaers was the paramilitary wing
What was the 1946 mineworkers strike
August 1946, the African mine workers union called a strike of black miners in the countries gold producing region. Nearly 100,000 black workers struck completely or partially shutting down 13 mines.
1948 election results
National party 79 seats
United party 71 seats
What was the reasons for the united party downfall
• Jan smuts old and tired
• election campaign lack lustre
• weak on race relations
• many white South Africans distrusted race policy
What led to the post war unity
• Afrikaners united under national party
• didn’t trust English speaking parties
• Afrikaner finance concerns set up to help start business
• Dutch reform church
What is “laager isolationism”
Afrikaner tendency to turn their back on others to protect themselves
What were townships
Gov wanted to maintain cities as predominantly white areas but the Africans who worked in the cities needed somewhere to live. So unofficial settlements were created in outskirts of citizens with basic homes. There were townships
How did the Second World War impact South Africa
• immediately declared support for Britain
• 300,000 SAs fought in war. 186k white.
• transformed industry. Factored expanded to fill wartime need for goods
What were some of the white grievances following the war
• faced serious economic problems
• rising housing costs
• increased racial tensions
• jobs were scarce
• black people had taken jobs and trade unions were larger
• black wages risen from 1/5 of whites to 1/4
What was promised in the sauer report
• apartheid of the separate development was the only way forward
• reserves was where the Africans belong
• the flood of Africans into the cities was a dangerous development
• urban Africans must cintimue to be treated as visitors without political rights
• Indians sent back
• white would rule - blacks under control
What does swart gevaar mean
black danger
What does oorstrooming means
Flooding of black Africans into the cities
Arguments for why the nationalists won the 1948 election
• growth of Afrikaner nationalism
• national party knew how to appeal to white voters
• black resistance to white rule had been successful and the NP knew how to pattern it
• WW2
What was the suppression of communism act
1950
Outlawed communism and detention of those who objected to or protected parliament
Anyone who opposed government was a commy
What was the natives abolition of passes act / native laws amendment act
•1952
• abolished old pass laws and introduced one overall law, including women
•Extended pass laws to women
• example of grand apartheid
• pass laws criminalised people who were not carrying passes
What was the group areas act
• 1950
• Legal segregation with distinct
• residential areas for each race
• Authorised gov to legally segregate areas by race
• towns and cities divided into areas
What was the Bantu self-government act
1959
8 self-governing homelands where black Africans were citizens
What was the Bantu education act
• 1953
• separate educational system for black South Africans with an “appropriate” curriculum
• implemented by Verwoerd
• segregation of races in schools
What happened at Sofia town
• 1955
• under group areas act 1950 it was decided to clear the township and replace it with a whites only community
• residents and the ANC protested against the removal 18 month campaign
• 2 days before removal, 2000 soldiers marched in unannounced to get rid of people
• entire relocation took several years but the entire 65k population were removed
How did the national party strengthen its grip on South Africa
• increased their majority at the 1958 election and won over half of all the votes. 103 seats
• carried out a policy of promoting afrikaners to key jobs. By 1958, they essentially controlled civil service, the army, the police, newspapers, radio
• members of the broederbond were further promoted into leading positions in the civil service
• the government became more willing to comsjder force to crush resistance
• the police force increased in size by 25% between 1946-55
Results of the Bantu education act
Bantu education backfired badly with a new generation that saw the naked truth. Apartheid held no benefits for them and tenth were being ‘tricked’ into thinking they were inferior
Biko would articulate black consciousness
Formation of South African students organisation (SASO) 1968
What did the Tomlinson report 1955 propose
Tomlinson presented the results of his enquiry into how to make ‘idealist apartheid’ work
The black reserves should be increased in size and become black ‘homelands.’ The governments should spend over 100m to improve farming and establish industries in these homelands
Proposed to round up all bantustans
What was the bath self-government act 1959
• eight self governing homelands created
• each homeland for an ethnic group
• the government invested far less in the homelands than recommended by Tomlinson
Instead, the government focused on ‘betterment’ as a policy
Why was verwoerd known as the architect of apartheid
Verwoerd was absolutely certain his policies weee right
As the rest of the world condemned them, he stood up for them
The afrikaners appreciated him for that and for keeping white supremacy and prosperity intact
When was ANC founded and what work did it do. Pre-1948
• founded 1912
• women’s pass boycotts 1913-1918
• Indian resistance centered on the work of ghandi
• 1946 black mine workers strike
When was the ANCYL founded and by who
Formed in 1943 by Walter sisulu
How many future ANC leaders came through the ANCYL
• anton lembede
• Nelson Mandela
• Oliver tambo
• Robert sobukwe
• Thabo mbeki
Why was the ANCYL founded
The youth league was formed as they felt the ANC was dominated by conservative and older generation who could not relate to the youth
By late 1950’s they had taken control of the ANC
What was the basic policy of the ANCYL
Created in 1948 following the victory of the national party
• Africans should unite as one group rather than members of different tribes
• Africans had the right to the wealth and prosperity of Africa
• Africans should accept the help of other sympathetic groups
What was the ANCYL programme of action
1949
• absolute rejection of white domination in SA
• a pro-African policy
• assertion of pride in being African in the face of white assertions of white superiority and African inferiority
• a demand for mass and direct action to oppose apartheid
What other groups existed
South African communist party
South African Indian national congress
South African coloured peoples congress
The liberal party (trying to make change from within)
What was Durban, Cato manor
• mid 1950’s Cato manor became a centre of politic militancy. Chief Luthuli visited Cato manor and mobilised support for the ANC and the area became a seat of the ANC underground
• 1959, attempts to forcibly remove people to African and Indian townships miles away met with stiff resistance
• 9 policemen killed by a group in the emergency camp, tipping the scales against Cato manor. Rapid clearance of the area began
• 1964, Cato manor ceased to exist
• 1968, Cato manor was largely vacant, with only a few solitary homes, shops, the beerhall and a few Hindu temples remained
What was the defiance campaign
The defiance campaign in 1952 was the first large-scale, multi racial mobilisation against apartheid laws led by the ANC, SAIC, and the coloured peoples congress.
They rallied and defied the pass laws, curfew and the railway apartheid regulations
More than 8k trained volunteers went to jail for ‘defying unjust laws’
Volunteers jailed for failing to carry passes, violating curfew, entering locations and public facilities designated for one race only
Non violent protest influenced by ghandi
What happened to those that defied
The criminal laws amendment act was passed giving heavy penalties to those that defied
The government made heavy use of the suppression of communism act
What was FEDSAW
The federation of South African women was launched on 17 April 1954 in Johannesburg.
146 delegates, representing 230k women from all parts of SA, attending the founding conference.
The demands laid out in the women’s charter were ultimately incorporated into the freedom charter
What was the women’s march
August 9th 1956, FEDSAW organised a match on the union buildings. 20k women from across SA attended. PM strijdom did not meet them, so they left bundles of signed petitions
However, security police removed them before he looked at them.
Who was Lilian ngoyi
First woman elected to executive committee of the ANC
Arrested in 56 for her campaigns for women’s rights, 71 days solitary
Banned and restricted for 15 years and confined to her home in Soweto
Whi was Helen Joseph
•British
•social care worker in Cape Town
• tried and acquitted in treason trial
• 1962 first person under house arrest under the sabotage act
• last banning order lifted when she was 80
What was the Alexandra bus boycotts 1957
One result of group areas act and native resettlement act was that they lived away from city but still worked there.
They depended on busses as could not afford cars
Gov paid bus companies to keep fares low but some did not comply. Caused great unrest and hardship. 1957 township of Alexandra boycotted the bus service. They walked 32km round trip
In the end fare increase was removed
What was the congress alliance
The next move after the defiance campaign was to call a congress together.
A nation-wide meeting, an alliance of everyone who was working toward the ending of apartheid.
What was the freedom charter
•1955
•ANC sent out 50k volunteers into townships and countryside to ask people what their ‘freedom demands’ were.
• these demands were put together in the freedom charter
What was the congress of the people
• Held at kliptown, Soweto just outside Johannesburg
• 26th June 1955 the charter was officially adopted.
• Most leader under arrest or banned from attending political meetings.
• The crowd suffounded by police
• Sisulu and Mandela both banned but watched in secret
• despite difficulties, nearly 3k delegates managed to get into the meeting
What was the suppression of communism act
1950 meant that the South African communist left was banned and its members began to work with other organisations, including the ANC. But the act also was used to deal with anyone who opposed the regime
Mass arrests and the treason trial
•Gov did not hesitate to arrest large numbers of people
• they did so after the defiance campaign, and in December 1956, they arrested 156 people connected with the freedom charter
• accused of high treason, supporting communism and belonging to a communist organisation.
What was The treason trial itself
156 arrested with high treason including entire leadership of ANC
From 1957, charges were dropped against 73 of defendants for lack of evidence
Remaining 30 say trial in August 1960
March 1961 all acquitted
What was the PAC
• Pan African congress
• 1959, sobukwe
• believed in an Africanist future for SA and opposed political collab with anyone other than Africans.
• mainly sobukwe angry at collaboration with others within the ANC
• split in the movement
