TWE was opposition to Apartheid effective in the years 1948-59?
Intro:
- Effective in establishing foundation for future opposition (defining objectives, beginning direct action),
however achieved no real change & campaigns failed (even Defiance Campaign, most significant)
therefore, fairly ineffective
P1: Opposition groups established themselves
- ANC (founded 1912, Youth League 1944 under Anton Lembede, 1949 Programme of Action)
o Brought attention to opposition movement
International figures (Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela)
- Congress Alliance
o Included ANC & Coloured/Indian parallel organisations
o June 1955 Freedom Charter, outlined clear objectives
fully democratic SA, fair distribution of land & wealth, non-racialism
- PAC – April 1959, ‘Africa for the Africans’ – increased range of opposition ideas
- Effective
o Brough international attention, enabled organized mobilization, defined objectives
- However…
o Individuals only got media/international attention much later, not in 1948-59
o ANC didn’t include whites, Indians & Coloured people
Although they formed parallel Congress organisations, can argue opposition =
divided, not one group – limited effectiveness
o Treason trial (1956, 156 members of Congress Alliance arrested) undermined effectiveness –
leaders tied up in proceedings until acquitted 1961
o NP banned groups – e.g. CP 1950, undermined effectiveness
o PAC only formed at end of period – no real role until later
P2: Mobilisation
- The Defiance Campaign (ANC, 1952)
o Moved from concession-seeking to militant liberation, non-violent civil disobedience
o 8,000 arrests – ANC membership increased from 4,000 to 100,000 effective as many
arrests (which was campaign goal) & opposition became more powerful
o PAC 21st March 1960, August 1989 MDM variations of Defiance Campaign, implies
campaign was effective as was repeated by future opposition groups
- However..
o Problems of Defiance Campaign seen by East London
9th November 1952 meeting of 800 – 2 whites, 7 Africans killed (some reports
suggest more), 18 serious injuries
ANC called off Campaign nationally failed/short-term
- Protests vs pass laws
o 1955 Lilian Ngoyi major protest vs pass laws (20,000 marched in Pretoria)
o 1957 women protested outside pass office in Johannesburg
- However…
o NP continued to impose pass laws, ineffective as didn’t achieve any real change
- Rural resistence
o Sekhukhuneland 1957-58, 9 gov collaborators killed by May 1958
Hundreds arrested & tried, no real success
Conclusion:
- Ineffective: NP continued to enforce apartheid through legislation and in practice
- Although objectives outlined + mobilization was widespread, success & attention not received until
later groups evolved into significant opposition, but not 1948-59
