South Africa - Why did opposition to apartheid increase during 1960-61? Flashcards
What were the main issues at the heart of the increase in opposition?
pass laws and restrictions
PEACEFUL PROTEST
In the 1950s with help of younger members, what did the ANC manage to mobilise?
mobilise parts of the population into political action
PEACEFUL PROTEST
Why did the PAC challenge the ideology and strategy of the Congress Alliance?
- less concerned with developing a disciplined leadership and membership
- they felt mass anger would sustain a mass movement
- more interested in an ill-defined freedom than non-racial democracy
PEACEFUL PROTEST
How did the ANC pre-empt and outdo the ANC? Was this successful?
ANC had a campaign planned on 31 March 1960
Sobukwe announced that the PAC would mount its own mass action on 21 March
largely unsuccessful
PEACEFUL PROTEST
What was Mandela’s response to the PAC’s attempt to outdo the ANC?
he said ‘they sought to sabotage us’
with ‘blatant opportunism’
PEACEFUL PROTEST
How did the PAC choose a similar strategy to the ANC Defiance Campaign?
- offering themselves up for arrest
- hope to cripple police and judiciary through this
PEACEFUL PROTEST
What are the most obvious reasons for the opposition to apartheid increasing?
- results of the ANC and PAC split in 1959
2. ongoing impact of the pass laws
PEACEFUL PROTEST
What were 3 effects of the split of ANC/PAC?
- gov allowed PAC to freely organise as it was keen to split the nationalist movement
- opposition between ANC and PAC
- more rural political movements
PEACEFUL PROTEST
What were 3 on-going impacts of the pass laws?
- constrained abiliting to work and live legally
- used as a form of punishment for urban protests by hostile police
- summary proceedings were unjust
SHARPEVILLE 1960
Give a brief outoine of events of Sharpeville on 20 March 1960.
20 March 1960
- youths moved on to streets
- policeman stabbed and police responded with force (batons and gunfire)
- midnight meeting at football stadium broken up, 2 people died
SHARPEVILLE 1960
Give a brief timeline of events at Sharpeville on 21 March 1960.
21 March 1960
Morning:
1. 5000 gathered outside police station and asked the police to arrest them all
2. ANC thumbs up salute and PAC slogan (the land is ours)
Midday:
3. reinforcements arrived. 200 with rifles and 200 with clubs
4. Nyakane Tsolo refused to order crowd to disperse and was arrested
5. crowd surged forward and police shot
SHARPEVILLE 1960
Who was the police commanded by? What did he admit?
aggressive Lieutenant Colonel Pienaar
he admitted that he should’ve warned the crowd that the police were going to shoot
SHARPEVILLE 1960
What 2 things were the police accused of?
- placing stones on station side of fence to provide evidence that these had been thrown before police opened fire
- kicking and killing wounded people
SHARPEVILLE 1960
What are 2 pieces of conflicting evidence of that day?
- a local gangster shot twice into the air
2. police were uneasy that the police station fence was under pressure
SHARPEVILLE 1960
Why were 4 reasons why Sharpeville was a centre of protest?
- most establish townships as it was centre for coal mining and state-owned iron and steel factories
- numbers swelled when 10,000 people moved in 1958 after Group Areas Act.
- favoured by migrant workers from Lesotho who had even less rights
- a PAC branch was founded in Sharpeville by Tsolo
SHARPEVILLE 1960
What are 5 pieces of evidence that show that Sharpeville WAS significant in INCREASING opposition to apartheid?
- 1st April ‘60 - UNSC passed resolution condemning Sharpeville
- UK and US supported a later resolution declaring apartheid to be a violation of UN charter
- horrifying images circulated in national and international media
- 28 March - ANC organised a mass pass-burning and a day of mourning
- 30 March - 20,000 Africans marched in an orderly and non-violent demonstration 6 miles along highway from Langa to Capetown
SHARPEVILLE 1960
What were 3 actions the authorities took to stop opposition to apartheid?
- 30 March - gov states a State of Emergency
- 30 March - protected the 30,000 marching Africans with cordon of Saracens, armed police and troops
- 8 April - banning of political parties
SHARPEVILLE 1960
Who was Kgosana? What did he do that led to his arrest? What had the government shown they were willing to do?
a leader of PAC
he led some of the marchers on 30 March near to the white-only parlia.
This almost meant they would’ve been met with a fire akin to Sharpeville.
they saw the PAC were trying to light a fuse, however the gov became more determined to enforce their authority
SHARPEVILLE 1960
What other protest happened around the time of Sharpeville?
Cato Manor riots
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
What happens under a state of emergency?
- PUBLIC MEETINGS BANNED
- POLICE CAN DETAIN WITHOUT RESTRICTION OF COURTS
- AFRICAN POLITICAL LEADERS ARRESTED WITHOUT WARRANT
(Mandela, Luthuli, Slovo, Sobukwe)
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
While it was dramatic times, what was the state of the African opposition?
- not sufficiently widespread or militant
- wasn’t enough to threaten white rule
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
What was the situation with Mandela?
- arrested at home in Orlando
- still involved in Treason Trial
- taken to Pretoria prison to appear in Court
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
What was the situation with Luthuli (president of ANC)?
he was assaulted after his arrest
his white communist lawyer Slovo was detained
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
What other party support the NP’s decision to ban political parties? What Act was passed and what was its purpose?
United Party
Unlawful Organisations Act: to ban parties that threatened public order
aimed at ANC and PAC
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
What happened a day after (9 April) the ban on political parties?
attempted assassination of Verwoerd
he was giving a speech at Milner Park in Johannesburg
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
Who committed the assassination attempt against Verwoerd? Why did he do it?
a middle-aged, English-speaking white man
unhappy with conflict in SA
BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES AND STATE OF EMERGENCY
What was the outcome of Verwoerd and the assassin?
Verwoerd survived the shot after a long period of recovery
he kept control of the NP
the assassin was unfit for trial and later committed suicide
MPONDOLAND
What was the main source of conflict in Mpondoland?
control of forests
MPONDOLAND
Why did rebellions begin here and who led it? How did they rebel?
March 1960 - against paramount chief who was imposed by the government in a fight for local autonomy
e.g. Madikizela and 4 other led it
they rebelled by burning the houses of government cooperators
MPONDOLAND
How was the clash of rebels and police at Ngquze Hill 6 June 1960 similar to the Sharpeville incident? What happened during the incident?
army claimed there was no clear order to disperse
11 were shot and many injured
MPONDOLAND
What happened to Mpondoland after the clashes?
revolts sustained for months, with help of ANC
police and army deployed
5000 arrested
MPONDOLAND
What was the result when the rebellion was quelled in Nov 1960?
23 rebels hanged for murder
