Summary
Summary Internal Resistance to Reforms (Grade 12 IEB)
- Course
- Institution
Detailed summary, easy to read and understand, created by pupil who got an 'A' in history for final Matric exam 2019.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
leahf
Reviews received
Content preview
Internal Resistance to Reforms:● Response to government's attempts at reform (attempts to make change)
● widespread protests held
● Mass resistance continued throughout 1980s
● Involved:
- Trade unions
- Civic organizations
- communities
- Students + church leaders
- Mid 1980s: turned into determined and sustained national uprising
Growing Power of Trade Union Movement:
● workers/trade unions played key role in protests
● Growth of trade unions started at time of 1973 strikes (continued throughout 1970s)
● Trade unions grew rapidly (early 1980s) after black trade unions legally recognised in
1979 (first time)
● At first: unions concerned with workplace issues + wages and working conditions
● Also worked alongside community organisations to organise boycotts and stray-aways
(+ other forms of resistance)
● Encouraged community organisations to support workers (E.g: boycotting products of
companies with poor labour practices, stopping people from community doing scab
labour)
● Scab Labour: temporary workers brought in to do work of striking workers
● 1983: trade unions became actively involved in wider politics
● Many joined United Democratic Front (union members played role in persuading people
to boycott elections for tricameral parliament)
● 1987: COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) adopted Freedom
Charter + aligned itself with non-racial democratic perspective of UDF (united democratic
front)
● Called for:
- Unbanning of political parties
- Release of political prisoners
- One vote constituent assembly
- End to racism and apartheid
● 1985: trade unions involved in increasing number of strikes to put pressure on employers
and government
● COSATU launched living wage campaign: called for higher wages to meet increasing
cost of living (inflation)
● 1980s: 1 May not public holidays as it was in many other parts of world
, ● Unions called for stay-away in 1 May 1985 to mark the importance of labour
● By 1987, 2.5 million people supported action of stay away
● Government introduced legislation to curb this action, COSATU + other unions, launched
a campaign of stay-aways and boycotts to oppose it.
Response to Botha’s Reforms: New Methods of Mobilisation:
Mobilisation: Act of marshalling and organising/making ready for use or action
● Response to Botha’s reforms: not what NP expected
● Black Local Authorities Act (1982) and tricameral constitution (1983) had
far-reaching results
● Started off mass protests countrywide
● Government failed to win the support of moderate coloured, indian voters (as
hoped it would)
● Clear that government was trying to restructure apartheid, not trying to dismantle
it
● Many democratic organisations joined forces to resist restructuring of apartheid
by urging voters to not register and vote in elections
● These Organisations helped form United Democratic Front
● Despite campaign by government to encourage people to register,less than 20%
coloured + indian voters voted in first election for tricameral parliament (1984)
● Reaction to botha’s reforms in black townships = dramatic
● Reforms led to uprising (“township revolt”) - 1984 to 1986
● Protests started in townships of Vaal triangle, Sharpeville, Sebokeng and
Boipatong
● Protests triggered by school boycott, by students and a rent boycott by township
residents (who protested against rent increases at time of economic hardship and
high unemployment)
● Protests + demonstrations soon became mass uprising with workers and
students
● They joined mass stay-away (marked new kind of resistance)
● Rather than focusing on specific issues in past (pass laws/ rent boycotts/trade
unions/ local civis) new political organisations called for ‘rolling mass action’
(sustained pressure and resistance on government)
Role of Civic Organisations in protests:
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller leahf. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $2.79. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now