A history of Apartheid in South Africa

Before we will check out the history of the apartheid period it's necessary to know what apartheid was and the way it affected people.

Translated from the Afrikaans meaning 'apartness', apartheid was the ideology supported by the National Party government and was introduced in South Africa in 1948.

Apartheid involved the separate development of the various racial groups in South Africa.

Apartheid made laws forced the various racial groups to measure separately and develop separately, and grossly unequally too.

During apartheid, to possess a friendship with someone of a special race generally brought suspicion upon you, or worse.

More than this, apartheid was a social organization that severely disadvantaged the bulk of the population, just because they didn't share the complexion of the rulers.

In basic principles, apartheid didn't differ that much from the policy of segregation of the South African governments existing before the Afrikaner Nationalist Party came to power in 1948.

The main difference is that apartheid made segregation a part of the law.

Apartheid cruelly and forcibly separated people and had a fearsome state apparatus to punish those that disagreed.

Another reason why apartheid was seen the maximum amount worse than segregation, was that apartheid was introduced during a period when other countries were moving far away from racist policies.

Before war Two the Western world wasn't as critical of racism, and Africa was colonized during this period.

It was during this era that South Africa introduced the more rigid racial policy of apartheid.

People often wonder why such a policy was introduced and why it had such a lot of support.

Various reasons are often given for apartheid, although they're all closely linked.

The other main reason for apartheid was fear, as in South Africa the White race is within the minority, and lots of were worried they might lose their jobs, culture, and language.

This is obviously not a justification for apartheid but explains how people were thinking.

Numerous laws were passed within the creation of the apartheid state.

Population Registration Act, 1950 This Act demanded that folks be registered consistent with their racial group.

This meant that the Department of Home Affairs would have a record of individuals consistent with whether or not they were white, colored, black, Indian, or Asian.

People would then be treated differently consistent with their population group, then this law formed the idea of apartheid.

Group Areas Act, 1950 This was the act that started physical separation between races, especially in urban areas.

The act also involved the removal of some groups of individuals into areas put aside for his or her racial group.

Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act, 1959 This Act said that different racial groups had to measure in several areas.

Only a little percentage of South Africa was left for black people to make their 'homelands'.

This Act also got obviate 'blackspots' inside white areas, by moving all black people out of the town.

These black people were then placed in townships outside of the town.

People lost their homes, were moved off the land that they had owned for several years, and were moved to undeveloped areas distant from their place of labor.

Resistance to apartheid came from all circles, and not only, as is usually presumed, from those that suffered the negative effects of discrimination.

Some of the foremost important organizations involved within the struggle for liberation were the African National Congress, the Pan-Africanist Congress, the Inkatha Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Black Consciousness Movement, and therefore the United Democratic Front.

There were also Indian and colored organized resistance movements, the Coloured People's Organisation), white organized groups and Black Sash) and church-based groups.

We shall consider the ANC. The ANC. The ANC was formed in Bloemfontein in 1912, soon after the Union of South Africa.

In 1919, the ANC sent a deputation to London to plead for a replacement deal for South African blacks, but there was no change to their position.

The history of resistance by the ANC goes through three phases.

In 1949, just after apartheid was introduced, the ANC started on a more militant path, with the Youth League playing a more important role.

The ANC introduced their Programme of Action in 1949, supporting strike action, protests, and other sorts of non-violent resistance.

Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and Walter Sisulu began to play a crucial role within the ANC during this period.

This campaign called on people to purposefully break apartheid laws and offer themselves for arrest.

It was hoped that the rise in prisoners would cause the system to collapse and obtain international support for the ANC. Black people got onto 'white buses', used 'white toilets', entered into 'white areas', and refused to use passes.

Despite 8 000 people ending up in jail, the ANC caused no threat to the apartheid regime.

The ANC continued along an equivalent path during the remainder of the 1950s, until in 1959 some members broke away and formed the PAC. These members wanted to follow a more violent and militant route and felt that success couldn't be reached through the ANC's method.