Map of South Africa in the world
Nelson Mandela - Famous individual that helped abolish the Apartheid. Photograph taken in the 1990s.
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BACKGROUND ON CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD
The international movement of solidarity with the struggle for freedom in South Africa was arguably the biggest social movement the world has seen. Virtually every country in the world has a history of anti-apartheid activity, in diverse forms. In many countries, anti-apartheid activities were linked (formally or informally) with local struggles against oppression of many kinds. Most anti-apartheid movements (AAMs) did not restrict their activities to South Africa, but supported liberation movements in Southern Africa more broadly. Besides individual countries, a range of regional and international organisations added their voices to the struggles against apartheid. What follows is an overview of some of the extant archival records of this extraordinary history. It is a first step towards a more comprehensive picture; it is at this point but a marker. |
Question 1
WHAT HAPPENED IN SOUTH AFRICA? South Africa is an extremely old country but history tell us that the Bantu colonisation were present before European’s had voyaged to the land for many centuries. Bantu is used to categorise the over 300-600 ethnic groups in South Africa who speak Bantu languages. In 1952 a person named Jan van Riebeeck established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope signifying the first settlement on South African land. There were many minor conflicts between the native South Africans and the British regarding the use of land. However the major battle occurred at the Battle of Isandlwana, which the natives won but the war was lost resulting in the end of the native’s independence. This marked the beginning of racial segregation, however it was mostly informal (not enforced in law.) The first formal segregation occurred in the Native’s Land Act of 1913 which severely restricted the ownership of land by blacks. WHAT IS THE APARTHEID? The Apartheid is the name of the laws imposed by the newly elected National Party in 1948 which aimed to separate the white and black races. This meant that different ethnic groups could be ruled by their own people. While it sounds like an alright idea this did not work in practice as blacks were provided greatly inferior services by the government, as they could not attend schools, use buses and go into most public areas, reserved for “whites.” It also resulted in restricted mobility, diminished opportunities and general sense of exclusion. Although the aim was to “separate” them, it was not a fair idea as the South African’s barely were given any rights in the process. WHY THE MOVEMENT OCCURED During the prime of the apartheid the native South African’s were denied these rights. As shown below this is a totally unacceptable standard of living and is the sole reason why the movement took place. These laws were established within 10 years of when the Apartheid was passed: - Prohibited Marriages between white people and the non-white (Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act 1949) - Every South African had to be racially classified (Population Registration Act 1950) - Forced separation through residential areas designated for certain races (Group Areas Act 1950.) - Outlawed communism, and any other things that called for a change in the way the government worked (Suppression of Communism Act 1950.) - Black Africans unable to perform skilled work except those designated for them (bantu Building workers Act 1950.) - Removal from common voter's roll (Separate Representation of Voters Act 1951) - Gave the Minister of Native Affairs the ability to displace Blacks from public and privately owned land and to place them in resettlement camps (Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act 1951) - Most Blacks had no permanent residence due to a limitation (Native Laws Amendment Act 1952) - All Blacks had to carry identification at all times (Natives (Abolition of Passes and Co-Ordination of Documents) Act 1952) - Cannot go on a strike (Native Labour (settlement of Disputes Act) 1953) - Blacks unable to receive an education to receive higher paid work (Bantu Education Act 1953) - Segregation in all public areas including buildings and public transport (Reservation of Separate Amenities Act 1953) - Denied Blacks to appeal to court (Natives (Prohibition of Interdicts) Act) - Blacks could not attend white Universities (Extension of University Education Act 1959.) COLLATION OF PRIMARY DOCUMENTS - First produced by South African Government in the 1950s. Copy located at http://www.history.com/topics/apartheid. Accessed October 2014 SECONDARY SOURCE - POLITICAL CARTOON created by J.H. Jackson in 1958 Perspective - Biased to the Natives Perspective, though unknown if author is native or not. Reliability - Reliable as time and author stated. Made for a newspaper. Usefulness - Very useful, tells us about the limitations of Black life Analysis - By the end of the 1950's, the Apartheid Government had passed legislation to restrict and control every aspect of Black life. Here Dr. Verwoerd draws the curtain on whatever limited rights black South Africans still had in the 1950s. Dr Hendirk Verwoerd was the Prime Minister from 1958-66 and then he was assassinated in 1966. |
PRIMARY SOURCE - Sign
Taken in unknown year by unknown author Perspective - Unknown Reliability - Mediocre reliability, unknown author or year, though it does agree with South African law regarding public amenities. Usefulness - Tells us about the segregation that occured Question 2 GROUPS/INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED FOR THE STRUGGLE OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, INEQUALITIES FACED
The African Civil Rights was a controversial matter as it saw the South African community, both the ‘white ‘ and ‘black’, divided upon the matter of if the futile struggle in regards to basic human rights was to be ended by giving the ‘black’ people what was rightfully theirs, or continue this struggle for decades to come. Many groups, organisations and even prominent individuals were involved in this issue. The Apartheid system was the leadership at the time and was the one who was imposing the limitations on ‘black’ South Africans rights and freedoms. Among the many groups which were involved in fighting for these rights was the African National Congress. This organisation was the catalyst for change and brought into the minds of the general public the notion that the white authority could only be overthrown and hereby the limitations on certain basic rights by protesting through mass campaigns. This organisation was led by Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and, of course Nelson Mandela their ideas of black-white equality and radical idea of overthrowing the Apartheid movement to create a better life for all were the core of this whole operation. Nelson Mandela and all the black African community faced racism at some point in their lives. It was this racism which often lead to segregation that lead people such as Nelson Mandela to act and to fight for their rights as a united community of black African people as they were the ones who understood their suffering best. Nelson Mandela was an influential man who is now known as the father of democracy in Africa. His influential movement and ideas lead to the changing of the face of a country and even the world in some ways. However, his life was not easy he suffered many things, beginning with racism from a young age. All young black African children were segregated for their colour, race and/or culture they were segregated and made to be ashamed of their heritage. Question 3
WHAT IFWhWHAT IF THEY WERE NOT INVOLVED? As shown by the above paragraph these individuals faced many struggles and inequalities for the rights and freedoms for the native South African’s. Nelson Mandela was no exception and he was the primary anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who helped topple the control of the Apartheid. He helped gain international attention to the racial segregation in the early 1990’s. Keep in mind during this time many countries have abolished their racist laws (e.g. Australia’s white Australia policy) and the United Nations was placing more emphasis on human rights. Mandela help other countries place pressure on South Africa’s government, as he met with George HW Bush, and many other top officials around the world. Eventually Mandela was successful and was Pm from 1994-99 where the racial segregation in South Africa was discontinued. This single individual was able to do this. If Mandela was not involved it is possible that someone else such as Oliver Tambo or Walter Sisulu could have done the same but clearly without the effect and pressure from international organizations or respected native South African leaders the movement would have not taken place at that same time in the 1990s. It is possible that without these people South Africa the movement could have occurred but this would be many years later when communications and technology were further advanced. The apartheid could also have occurred without the support of these individuals through the Anti-Apartheid movement, which was made in the 1960s and it was a British organization that was at the centre of opposing South Africa’s system of apartheid. The quote below shows us the large effect the anti-Apartheid had. “We are not asking you, the British people, for anything special. We are just asking you to withdraw your support from apartheid by not buying South African goods " PRIMARY SOURCE - Julius Nyerere in 1959 Perspective - Perspective from Native Perspective Reliability - Date and author stated. Supports the idea of this article. Usefulness - Tells us how the anti-Apartheid movement took place In conclusion, there has to be some sort of pressure, internal and external for the movement to take place, otherwise it will have never happened. Mandela was a primary influence on the movement though it is possible that movement would have occurred anyway without him at a later time. Over time as communications and technology advanced more people would be aware of the issue, and countries would discontinue their operations and trading with South Africa. This is due to the ethical and moral issues associated with the Apartheid which ultimately would result in external pressure, possibly causing the movement to occur. |