Apartheid
Apartheid
Apartheid (pronunciation: /əˈpɑːrteɪd/; etymology: from Afrikaans, meaning 'separateness') was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 until the early 1990s.
History
Apartheid was characterized by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap (or white supremacy), which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation's minority white population. In 1948, the National Party (NP) was voted into power and began implementing a series of apartheid laws that codified racial segregation at all levels of society.
Legislation
The most significant apartheid laws were the Population Registration Act of 1950, which classified all South Africans by race, and the Group Areas Act of 1950, which geographically separated racial groups. Other laws, such as the Bantu Education Act of 1953 and the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953, further entrenched the system of apartheid.
Resistance and End
Resistance to apartheid came from all circles, and not only, as is often assumed, from those who suffered the negative effects of discrimination. The African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) were the most notable anti-apartheid organizations. International pressure, coupled with internal resistance, led to the NP's decision to end apartheid in 1990 and to hold South Africa's first multiracial elections in 1994.
Related Terms
- Bantustan
- District Six
- Sharpeville massacre
- Soweto Uprising
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Apartheid
- Wikipedia's article - Apartheid
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