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Apartheid In South Africa Essay

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Apartheid was an institutionalized racially discriminatory system used by Afrikaners, the white descendants of Dutch colonizers, to oppress native South Africans and other people of color in the country. It was a system created by the all white National Party to give them control over the nation and as a result of their bigotry. The unfair climate it created led to local as well as international protest, all of which eventually led to negotiations between political parties representing people of color and the National Party in the 1990's. Negotiations resulted in the creation of a new constitution, the first free election, and a multiracial government. Context: Legislation: In 1948, the all white National Party gained control of the South African government and immediately enacted a system of racial oppression called apartheid [1]. This system, building upon existing discriminatory laws, ensured economic, political, and social dominance for whites. It gained a foothold as laws such as the Population Registration Act and the Group Areas Act worked to benefit whites while hurting people of color[1]. …show more content…

The results determined almost everything about a person’s life: their home, jobs, education, and travels [3]. If they were black or colored, they were forced into homelands, lands that the government intended to be independent states [3]. Those living in cities were moved to townships. The government planned to reserve South African citizenship solely for whites as well as allocate favorable land to them. They maintained control over homelands, restricting and repressing inhabitants at will. Quote

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