Global Independence Stations
Station 3 – South Africa and the Apartheid
Name _______________________________________
Date ________________________
Core ______
Videos:
Nelson Mandela – Mini
Biography (6:49 mins.)
Mandela – The Rebel (3:23
mins.)
Apartheid Explained (2:56
mins.)
African Independence Movements
Africa was unique among continents after WWII in that virtually the entire continent was under colonial rule. Indeed, over
the past few hundred years France, Portugal, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, and Italy had divided up its territory and resources
between themselves. As a result, the African experience of decolonization varies wildly. For example, many British colonies were
granted their independence with little bloodshed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In contrast, Portuguese colonies that became
the states of Angola and Mozambique were required to fight long, hard wars of independence.
The decolonization of Africa - be it through war or peaceful means - took place mainly between 1956 and 1975. African
decolonization started in North Africa, with the independence of countries like Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, and Tunisia, and soon spread
throughout the continent. The year 1960 was particularly important. In fact, it is often referred to as the 'Year of Africa' because in
1960 alone, 17 independent nations emerged
The Impact of African Decolonization
The decolonization of Africa between the 1950s-1970s had both positive and negative consequences.
On one hand, it allowed African groups to throw off foreign rule and institute self-government. It also led to
support for what is called Pan- Africanism, which is the belief that there should be solidarity among Africans
everywhere and that all of Africa should be united as one single entity, like the “United States of Africa,” to
quote Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the independence efforts in Ghana. Some new African leaders believe in the
dream of Pan-Africanism, that regardless of national boundaries, all black African peoples shared a common
identity and unity. Pan-Africanism was supported by leaders such as Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Jomo
Kenyatta of Kenya, and Kwame Nkrumah. Even though the dream was never realized, the Organization of African
Unity (OAU), was founded by 32 African states in 1963, to improve unity among its members. In 2002, the African
Union (AU) replaced the OAU, with 53 members joining with aims to promote democracy and economic growth in
Africa.
On the other hand, decolonization also resulted in decades of inter-African strife in certain areas. With
European powers absent, some regions experienced civil war as different groups competed for power. Another
problem that many new African nations dealt with was the inexperience in running a country, which had previously
been done by their European colonizer before independence. In several newly independent Africa countries,
fighting and war continued for decades. Generally speaking, however, the decolonization of Africa was a good thing, as it brought
the continent into the fold of global affairs.
South Africa in the Apartheid Era – A Unique Road to Independence
Unlike many African countries, independence for South Africa came not at the end of a long, nonviolent struggle, nor at the
end of a drawn-out war, as was the case in Algeria. Instead, South Africa had gained some measure of recognition by 1910, from the
British, and was largely independent by 1931, before WWII. A major part of this was due to the unique makeup of South African
society. Whereas British colonials made up the majority of the European population in practically every other British colony, that
was not the case in South Africa. Instead, descendants of Dutch settlers made up the majority of the white people in South Africa.
This is because the Dutch were the first to establish a colony in South Africa, only to lose their colony
in South Africa to the British.
South Africans of Dutch ancestry, were known as Afrikaners or as Boers, had already fought
one costly war against the British, and if white society was going to survive, Afrikaners and British
settlers would have to have a common purpose. Soon, it became clear that a common purpose for both Afrikaners and British
settlers could be maintaining control. After all, they were very much the minority in South Africa. As a result, regulations started to
be passed to limit the rights of non-white South Africans.
The Apartheid System
By 1948, these rules were passed into law, and the Apartheid system was born. Apartheid literally means 'apartness' in
Afrikaans, the language of the Dutch settlers, and was a system by which society in South Africa was
split into four main castes: White, Black, Mixed, and Asian/Indian. Caste determined everything,
from what university you could attend and what tax rate you'd pay, to even what bench you could sit
on while waiting for the bus or at which beach you could spend a Saturday afternoon. The system
managed to survive for nearly 50 years due to the fact that it forced white South Africans, both British
and Dutch, to agree on it to maintain any level of political power.
Furthermore, all citizens were forcibly relocated to a designated homeland, known as
Bantustans. Upon moving to a Bantustan, one lost South African citizenship and was restricted to
move around the rest of the country. Although about 4 out of 5 South Africans were black, they
received only 15% of the land. Most of the natural resources, productive farmland and developed
cities were designated as white territory. Non-whites who worked in white
territory required a pass to enter, known as Pass Books. These Pass Books
contained information about who you are, where you lived, they even had a
picture of you and where you worked. Employers (which were only allowed to
be white) were allowed to write in your Pass Book about your behavior and
conduct as a person. The Pass Books determined which areas you were
allowed in and for how long. If you did not have your Pass Book and you were
out of your “designated area,” you were arrested and relocated to your
“designated area,” or sent to prison. The few who were granted permission to
live in the cities were relegated to slums, called townships. Most contact
between racial groups was banned.
South African Resistance
Of course, black South Africans had been consistently fighting discrimination and white minority rule, but in 1948, apartheid
made their protests illegal. Still, several groups emerged in the 1950s dedicated to ending apartheid and some began burning their
pass books in protest. The African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela, arranged various
acts of civil disobedience, boycotts and other forms of protest. The Pan Africanist Congress,
which had split off from that group, organized an act of passive resistance in 1960. Hundreds of
blacks arrived at the police station in Sharpeville (a black township) without their passes, fully
expecting to be arrested. But the police opened fire on the crowd, killing 67 people and injuring
180 more, this became known as the Sharpeville Massacre.
The Sharpeville massacre galvanized the anti-apartheid movement, and convinced some groups
to shift their methods from Gandhi's non-violence to more aggressive guerrilla tactics. Within a
year, both the ANC and the PAC were outlawed, and most of their leaders were imprisoned or
exiled. Nelson Mandela was convicted of sabotage, and sentenced to life in prison.
From this lack of leadership came Desmond Tutu, the first black leader of the Anglican Church in South
Africa. As he rose through the ranks of religious politics, he continually advocated for an end to apartheid.
'The black cause of liberation will triumph...' Tutu said in 1981. 'God is on our side because he is always on
the side of the oppressed. The only questions are how and when freedom will come. We want it now and we
want it to come reasonably peacefully. Whites have to decide whether they want it to happen by negotiation
or through violence and bloodshed.' It was through the efforts of Desmond Tutu and the Sharpeville
Massacre, the apartheid and the problems would receive international recognition.
Although the United Nations failed to impose effective sanctions against South Africa, by the late
1970s, individual nations and corporations began their own embargoes (stopped trading with South Africa) of the apartheid regime.
And from 1956, many sports organizations (such as the Olympics) banned South Africa from participation. On June 16, 1976, when
thousands of black children in Soweto, a black township outside Johannesburg, demonstrated against the Afrikaans language
requirement for black African students, the police opened fire with tear gas and bullets, this became known as the Soweto Uprising
or Protest. The protests and government crackdowns that followed, combined with a national economic recession, drew more
international attention to South Africa and shattered all illusions that apartheid had brought peace or prosperity to the nation.
International opposition to apartheid finally gained steam after 1984, when Bishop Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize. The
United States passed the Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986, prompting several multinational corporations to boycott South Africa. By the
end of the decade, South Africa's economy was struggling under the economic sanctions.
The End of Apartheid
The effects of domestic and international pressure forced South Africa's president to resign in 1989, starting a snowball
effect that finally led to the fall of apartheid. Incoming President, F.W. de Klerk, stunned the world with a series of reforms. He lifted
the ban on the African National Congress and other anti-apartheid organizations. Suddenly, after 27 years
in prison, Nelson Mandela, along with many other political prisoners, was released in 1990. With a free
press also reinstated, Mandela spoke openly about apartheid to anyone who would listen, including the
United States Congress.
With the Cold War finally at an end by this time, the Western democracies could no longer justify
the apartheid regime in South Africa and began applying even more diplomatic and economic pressure.
President de Klerk systematically undid the apartheid laws, granting
full rights to all South Africans by 1993. But when non-whites were
finally allowed to vote in South Africa's first democratic elections,
de Klerk lost his job. Nelson Mandela was elected in a landslide in
1994, and the honor of introducing South Africa's first black
president fell to Bishop Desmond Tutu (F.W. de Klerk would
become Nelson Mandela’s Vice President).
It took nearly five decades, but South Africa finally threw off the racist apartheid
regime and embraced majority rule. For their efforts to achieve political equality in South
Africa, deKlerk and Mandela were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission
Given the deep wounds caused by the
apartheid, there was a real fear that the formerly
discriminated citizens would strike back at the white
minority and violence would spread throughout
South Africa. To counter this, Mandela and de Klerk
set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to
not only find out the abuses that happened during
the apartheid, but to give individuals the opportunity
to confess their wrongs and find forgiveness from
the state itself. In fact, the commission especially
welcomed input from individuals who had been
members of the opposition, particularly the African
National Congress, who had committed acts of
politically-inspired hate against the white minority.
While the commission did face considerable
criticism, it is widely believed in South Africa to have
helped prevent violence after the end of the
apartheid.
Sources:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/decolonization-and-nationalism-in-israel-egypt-africa-indonesia-vietnam-algeria.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/changes-in-africa-after-world-war-ii.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/south-africa-in-the-apartheid-era.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-end-of-apartheid-south-africa-in-the-1990s.html
http://www.history.com/topics/apartheid