This essay will briefly discuss the key features of the apartheid system, the main reasons that led to the collapse of the Apartheid era and the prevailing legacy in political circumstances. These issues will be unpacked through firstly identifying and explaining the key features of the apartheid system, briefly highlighting and explaining the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Apartheid era and lastly by looking at the ways in which the past is still shaping South Africa’s present political circumstances.
2. The key features of the apartheid system
According to Thompson (1990), the National party government which came into power in 1948 applied apartheid in a plethora of laws and executive actions. Among the most crucial laws that were legislated, the Group Areas Act No 41 of 1950 which resulted in millions of people being relocated through forced removals was one of the legislations that resulted in a lot of people suffering especially the people of colour. This is because the South African population was segmented into four racial groups of which comprised of the Whites, Coloured, Indian and African and each of these groups had their own way of doing things/beliefs. Barring in mind that the above mentioned racial groups had different beliefs, whites were seen as the people that were more educated and dominant than the other races. Hence they had first preference in everything that was of importance to all the humans as a whole which even then resulted in them (whites) being the largest nation in the country.
3. The key factors contributing to the collapse of the Apartheid era
Things started looking up for the oppressed human races (blacks, coloured, Indians) In February 1990 when President FW de Klerk publicized Nelson Mandela's release from prison and began the slow disassembling of the Apartheid system. In 1992 a whites-only election was conducted in which this disassembling of the Apartheid system process was approved. South Africa then held the first ever democratic elections in 1994, in which people of all races had equal rights to cast their votes. A Government of National Unity was then formed, with Nelson Mandela as the president and FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki as deputy presidents.
Quite a number of countries withdrew from investing in South Africa due to the fact that they lost confidence in its ability to be able monitor its economic affairs accordingly. This sudden doubt was mainly caused by the instability of the political affairs in South Africa. These above mentioned factors contributed significantly to the collapse of the Apartheid era.
4. The ways in which the past continues to shape South Africa’s present political circumstances
Social racism is one of the things resulted from the past and still shape South Africa’s present political circumstances. This is because even though it is stated that this kind of racism is invincible it hurts more than the visible one. A good example was made in which more blacks are listed among the richest people in this country but still get undermined by some of the ignorant whites who still have the mentality that they should be the only race that dominates all the other races. The authors went on to say that there are few whites that are concerned about they are viewed by other people, but there are many blacks that still suffer and have to put up with racial judgements that are uncalled for.
5. Conclusion
This essay has briefly discussed the key features of the apartheid system, the main reasons that led to the collapse of the Apartheid era and the prevailing legacy in political circumstances. In the process of this brief discussion, a number of issues that arose due to the political state of South Africa were raised and also unpacked. This includes the Group Areas Act that was legislated in 1950 which resulted in people being forcefully removed from the areas that they used to stay in due to their race. The issues that led to the collapse of the Apartheid era were also mentioned and briefly unpacked. Lastly, this essay looked at the ways in which the past still has an influence in our daily lives and social racism was identified as the most dominant after-effect issue that is still dominating in our societies. Hopefully one day the South Africans will one day be able to overlook the past and stop basing their attitudes and ways of doing things on Apartheid.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Fundamental to Apartheid and Jim Crow were values and habits that supported the oppression of groups of people who were perceived to be inferior. These systems take on different forms, but essentially have same structure. The implementation and maintenance of legislation passed during these eras allowed for the continued degradation of minorities. Many external factors aided in keeping these laws afloat and ensuring the dominance of the oppressors. Political, economic and societal pressures allowed for the enforcement of racially charged legislation systems.…
- 590 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Introduction Segregation not only occurred in America, but also in South Africa (Apartheid). In this research paper, you will learn about the following: the different restrictions between the two countries, pervasive racism that took place in America and South Africa, which country was the racism worse, and also the similarities of segregation and apartheid. It is important that everyone knows that segregation and racism didn’t just happen in one country, but other countries. Was segregation worse than apartheid? Unlike segregation, apartheid involved the South Africans being stripped of their citizenships (Hayley, 2014).…
- 814 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Discuss South Africa’s apartheid policy of 1948. How was it initiated? Provide historical information of the time from the passing of this policy until gaining independence in 1979.…
- 787 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
People in society don't always openly accept major changes in their societies. When faced with the possiblity of change peopel become naturally conservative and coflict arises so that the changes may occur. Inequality has been a global issue between races. The English who invaded South Africa started discrimination and racism. Nelson Mandala started a group called the Afrikaner National Party (ANP) and gained many members, sparking fights with the more conservative residents of the National Party who didn't want change. The National Party made apartheid so it would keep white domination while making racial separation in the economic and social system. When the system was established, it first separated all the races into categories based on their skin. This meant citizens of their homeland and would lose their citizenship to South Africa. When Nelson Mandala had formed the ANP he started many protests against the National Party and people began to rebel more, creating even more rivalry. Mandala got arrested in 1963 and put in jail for 27 years. Once Nelson Mandela was released from prison and won the election to be president of Africa, he…
- 873 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The first half of the twentieth century was a time of segregation and oppression in South Africa. As more and more European and white settlers began to flock to South Africa in hopes of making their fortune in diamonds, segregation problems arose. The British and the Dutch were the two main European groups with a strong influence in South Africa. Success in mining led to whites settlers having complete economic control in South Africa. Though the British and the Dutch did not get along well with each other, they were able to agree on one important idea; white superiority. The newly wealthy white settlers believed themselves to be superior to the original African inhabitants. Their economic success along with their ideas of white superiority led to the policy of segregation. The first half of the twentieth century yielded many features of segregation, established by whites, to maintain their superiority over Africans. The policy of segregation greatly impacted the daily lives of Africans in both rural and urban areas.…
- 1522 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
References: 1 - Automating Apartheid - U.S. Computer exports to South Africa and the Arms Embargo. Omega Press, Philadelphia, 1982Bibliography:Books:Meisel,J. (1994) South Africa At The Crossroads. Cape Town; The Millbrook PressChristopher,A. (1994) The Atlas of Changing South Africa. London; RoutledgeTames,R. (2000) The End of Apartheid: a New South Africa. Oxford: Heinemann LibraryInternet Sites:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africahttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www.africanaencyclopedia.com/apartheid/apartheid.html…
- 1600 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In this essay I will discuss two different Interpretations of why apartheid ended. The first I will discuss them. The role of Nelson Mandela, with his leadership of the ANC, the 27 years imprisonment in Robben Island. And finally Mandela becoming the first black president of South Africa. The second interpretation is a contrast which challenges the view that it was just Mandela, it says there are other factors such as a political leader Lilian Nyogi, and FW De Klerk who played a very crucial role. There is also the pressure of economic sanctions and the political pressure from neighbouring countries. And a final factor being the international sporting boycott which was a hard decisive blow to the apartheid era.…
- 1763 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
The British and the Afrikaners put aside the bitterness of war in order to entrench white power and privilege at the expense of the…
- 1018 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
One year later the British took Cape Town over. When the British took over tensions rose. The Dutch, or also known as the Boers, got angry and did not want South Africa to become an English country. In 1833, the Boers led a massive group of people into African tribal territory. There they made the republic of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.…
- 782 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
To put it simply it was due to a long history of settler rule as well as Dutch and British colonialism. The essential thinking behind apartheid was that although South Africa was a unitary nation, it was comprised of four racial groups. This sparked internal resistance to which the government responded with detention without trial and torture. Whites in their own eyes were seen as sophisticated and therefore entitled to rule South Africa.…
- 739 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
At that time, he learned about how wonderful and peaceful life was before the arrival of the Caucasians. Mandela's elders used to say, "Then our people lived peacefully, under the democratic rule we occupied the land, the forests, the rivers we set up and operated our own government then the country was ours" (Benson 16). After hearing his elders constantly reflect on their wonderful past with their peaceful country, Mandela must have known that he never had known what it was like to live that way and also that his country would never be able to experience that kind of lifestyle, unless somebody stood up to the white supremacy. Mandela brought his yearning of a new South Africa to his treason trials right before his life sentence. He read to the people, "Africans want to be paid a living wage. Africans want to perform work which they are capable of doing want to live where they obtain work want to own land be part of the general population live with their children we want equal political rights" (Benson 158). Mandela said all of this to whites and blacks at his trial so he would be able to have all people see how horribly his people were being treated. He had learned of a great life from his elders, and so he needed it to become a reality once again. Geoff Tabbner, a radical supporter of Nelson Mandela, recognized his dream and also recognized the changes needed for society. Geoff said, "South Africa has many problems. The nation has 50 percent unemployment and 90 percent of those jobless people are blacks and Asians. That's a reflection of South Africa's depressed economy" (Carlson 4). By dictating to the people, Nelson Mandela united many into learning how poorly the country was because of the whites and allowed them to have a common goal: to achieve a greater South Africa. This is a great contribution to society because it…
- 1391 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw” (Nelson Mandela 1995). South African apartheid denied men even the most basic human rights, such as freedom, respect and dignity because of their color. This horrific form of imperialism allowed white men to overpower the native black people of Africa, simply because they were stronger and better-equiped with weapons. From 1948 to 1994, black lives were ruled by the law of white men. Blacks were segregated, tormented and forced to raise their children in the worst conditions imaginable. South African apartheid became the new norm for the natives in 1948 when the National party took control of South Africa and lasted until 1994. Additionally,…
- 871 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
South Africa had been under a strict policy in which it segregated over three-fourths of its society, called Apartheid. This policy was put into place in 1948 when the National party government established that the Whites who were considered the civilized race, had uttermost control of the state, in which their interests would prevail over any of the other races including Blacks, Indians, African and Coloured, and that the state didn’t have the obligation to provide the same rights to the remaining three races (Thomson 190). From there, the quality of life of those three races, but primarily the Blacks downgraded significantly as various Acts regarding their prohibition of having facilities, basic rights or opportunities were implemented. Acts like the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act (1953), Riotous Assemblies Act (1956), General Law Amendment Act (1966) gave total control to the state so they could ban any political party including the African National Congress, prohibit Blacks to participate in society activities, and even create “whites only” public facilities like having benches and beaches be restricted to only whites.…
- 472 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In 1948 in South Africa, the white minority ensured their political control over the black majority by relying on a policy of racial separation called…
- 492 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Over the years immigrants have migrated from their native lands to different countries with the hopes and dreams of benefiting from the valued resources other developed countries have to offer. Migration occurs mainly for the purpose to gain better opportunities and life chances. In most cases, depending on an immigrant’s personal characteristics and physical traits being similar to that of the dominant groups the process of assimilating into society is less difficult; however, for those that are not close in physical traits to the dominant group have a much harder time being accepted or ability to receive resources willingly and tend to become more pluralistic as a result. Pluralistic is defined when an individual does not make any effort to conform to the dominant ethnic group’s values, norms or beliefs. Those that practice pluralistic continue to believe in their cultural values, norms and beliefs; however, this practice normally ends in resentment as these individuals are in most cases at the bottom of the ethnic stratification class. Research has showed that the dominant group is usually referred to the ethnic group that holds political control and economic resources shared among that particular group as they are numerically the majority and most immigrants are few in numbers are considered the minority. Currently in the United States and around the world in most countries societies are blended and residing in a multiethnic society as immigrants travel across the world and merge living together. However, in South Africa there is tension among ethnic groups as they have yet to equally coexist together as a result of apartheid which caused a delay in the developing of their multiethnic society.…
- 2755 Words
- 12 Pages
Powerful Essays