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Summary Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics
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Detailed revision notes for OCR History A Level Unit 2 South Africa. Including further information which can be used to show context
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South Africa 1948-99Establishing Apartheid
SA before 1900
The Portuguese were the first European settlers in the late 1400s
By the 1700s British & Dutch settlers dominated SA
Migrants from India also arrived but Native Bantu/Zulus still made up the majority
During the 1800a there were a series of wars between the settlers and natives
Warfare escalated in the late 180s when gold and diamonds were found
The British and the Boers fought between 1899-1902
The white population is still divided between English and Afrikaans speakers
SA 1910-48
Having helped the British in the Boer war, black South Africans hoped for a better
deal when SA became a British dominion in 1910
However, Blacks and Indians were denied the vote
Black people couldn’t rent or own land except in the Black reservations which made
up only 7% of the land
Black people could only occupy white owned land if they worked for the farmer
1948 Election & Reasons for Nationalist Victory
Appeal of Nationalists
Afrikaner intellectuals, teachers and clerics were promised a white SA under
Afrikaner rule by Malan
For white workers they held out the danger of the ‘black threat’ to jobs and law and
order
Malan promised white farmers a supply of cheap black labour
He promised white industrialists a more flexible apartheid with blacks allowed under
strict controls, to leave reservations and work in cities
The Dutch reformed church gave biblical support to afrikaner views on racial
superiority of whites
White Fears
The economy was in difficulties after the war. Jobs were scarce
White workers returning from the war found black workers in their jobs
White workers resented Smuts’ policy of keeping food prices low
Black workers wages had risen
Whites were shocked by black protests and feared black resistance
Smuts talked about democracy and liberty abroad, so whites distrusted him
They were angry with the UN for criticising their racist policies
They resented the flood of black workers to the cities
The NP won the election for 5 main reasons:
The impact of WW2 on SA
White fears of growing black opposition
The NP’s promises
Growing Afrikaner unity
Dissatisfaction with Smuts
Origins and Nature of Apartheid & its development
Population Registration Act 1950
, Before Apartheid could take place, the gov needed to know who belonged to which
racial group
A racial register was created which divided people into whites, natives and coloureds
Because of mixed marriages this was easier said than done.
2 criteria were used to decode which group you belonged in:
1. Actual colour
2. Verdict of society
This caused some families to split up
13 years later, 20,000 individuals had not been classified
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act 1949
Was created to keep the white race pure
Banned marriages between whites and non-whites
Group Areas Act 1950
The government wanted to make sure whites, blacks and coloureds lived separately
It divided SA into separate areas for different races
Only one race would be allowed to live in each area. Non-whites should be kept out
of towns and cities
People who lived in the wrong area would be forced to move
However, in 1980 over 69% of blacks still lived outside ‘their’ areas
The government followed this up with a 1951 law which banned illegal squatting
The Natives Resettlement 1954
75,000 people living in Sophiatown were resettled in the Meadowlands township in
1955
It was demolished and replaced by a white suburb called Triomf (Afrikaans for
triumph)
Pass Laws
People needed to carry something to prove who they were and where they lived
Pass laws existed before the WW2 for every male over 16
Any black man without a pass or in the wrong area was out in prison and lost his job
Abolition of Passes Act 1952
All blacks had to carry a reference book once they reached the age of 16
By 1956 black women also had to carry them
They needed separate passes to be out after 9pm
Other races were given an identity card, but owners didn’t have to carry them around
Non-whites were arrested if they didn’t have them
In a typical year, 400,000 people were arrested
Separate Amenities Act 1953
Otherwise known as petty apartheid, it controlled minor aspects of everyday life
In 1953 owners of public premises could reserve them for use by one race
In 1955 the Motor Transport Act allowed apartheid on public transport
o Johannesburg buses made a loss due to this
o They could have made £500,000 profit a year if apartheid stopped
In 1957 a gov minister was given the right to stop blacks attending church in white
areas
o The churches were so angry about this the gov didn’t enforce it
In 1960 it was extended to beaches
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