Apartheid
What is Apartheid?
• Definition: Social and political policy of racial
segregation and discrimination
against native black Africans,
enforced by white minority
governments in South Africa
from 1948-1994
• Apartheid = apartness (in Afrikaans, a Dutch based
language)
Beginning of Apartheid
• The policy goes back to 1650s with the arrival of
the Dutch and the British
• 1930s: The term
“apartheid” is created
and widely spread
• 1940s: “apartheid” is the
National Party’s slogan
• 1948: Afrikaner Nationalists come into power and
made apartheid the law
Apartheid in Action
• 1950: Population Registration Act is put into place and four
racial categories are created:
1. White
2. Colored (mixed race)
3. Bantu (Black African)
4. Asian (Indians and Pakistanis)
• Group Areas Act of 1950: Assigns races to townships to keep
the races separated – 3.5 million non-whites are removed
from their homes and forced to move into segregated
neighborhoods
Racial Populations
Bantu Homelands
Separate & Unequal
• Blacks were purposefully given notably inferior
resources than whites
• Segregated housing, education, medical care
• Black citizens must carry papers
• Mixed marriages/relations are
illegal
• Blacks cannot own land
• Blacks cannot own businesses without permits
Police Brutality and Enforcement
• Imprisoned for arbitrary reasons, completely at the
decision of the officer who would be in complete
control of his area (no due process)
• Police killed 69 peaceful protesters at Sharpeville
• Charges that some police officers would randomly
shoot their weapons to rule
their township with fear
Opposition to Apartheid
• Black political groups vocalized their opposition
through violence, strikes, and demonstrations
• Most foreign governments denounce apartheid as a
violation of human rights
• 1985: US and Great Britain place economic sanctions
against South Africa, placing pressure to end the
policy
Soweto Protests
• June 16, 1976 – thousands of students
protested schools teaching in Afrikaans
• Police released dogs and began shooting at
the students
• At least 176 died; some reports say up to 700
were killed
Bantu Stephen Biko
• Famous for “black is beautiful” quote
• Was a student leader who created the Black
Consciousness Movement
• Taken into police custody after a protest,
interrogated and beaten for 22
hours, and later pronounced dead
in police custody
Nelson Mandela
• Served 27 years in jail for conspiracy to overthrow
the government
• President of African National Congress (1991-1997)
• Elected president of South
Africa during its first
election where all people
were allowed to vote
(1994-1999)
The End of Apartheid
• Early 1990s: President F.W. De Klerk (white)
begins to dismantle the system
• His first steps were releasing imprisoned black
leaders and activists
• 1994: Constitution is re-written and free, general
elections are held
• First elected president was Nelson Mandela
In the blanks space provided…
• Give an example of a geographic effect Apartheid had
on South Africa (CD) and explain its effect (CM).
• Give an example of a cultural effect Apartheid had on
South Africa (CD) and explain its effect (CM).
• Give an example of an economic effect Apartheid had
on South Africa (CD) and explain its effect (CM).
• Give an example of a political effect Apartheid had on
South Africa (CD) and explain its effect (CM).