How Did Apartheid Affect South Africa

Maya Verdier

Global Studies 2H

Mr. Grace

Set: 1

South African Apartheid

Apartheid was the policy of segregation, political, and economic discrimination against non-European groups in South Africa. Apartheid was introduced in 1948 and created a tremendous turning point in South African history. South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the 17th century. The English and Dutch later became called Afrikaners, and these two groups had a power-share over Africa until the 1940’s. When the Afrikaner National Party gained a strong majority Apartheid was invented. Apartheid was created to control over the economic and social

More than 9 million black people lost their right to vote as well as the right to basic education. They were also forced to carry passports at all times for easy identification. These people were also not allowed to move from rural areas to cities without permits from the government. When they received their permits they were forced into employment in low-skilled environments or factories. This policy created a supply of cheap labor while keeping many black families away from centers of population. Some South Africans accepted the mistreatment and some did not. South Africans started to resist these absurd laws which lead to protests. Then measures got out of hand in which protests were no longer peaceful. One of the worst cases was when a school was bombed. Another was when Nelson Mandela a man who was apart of the African National Congress, who then later came out as a freedom fighter was imprisoned for resisting the Apartheid. He was not alone in being resistant. For example the business community became resistant because they were worried about economical problems caused by the Apartheid. The economy in South Africa dropped really low. There were really high levels of unemployment, it was hard to access education, and there were limited jobs. People didn’t even have stable homes. They were made from steel scraps and car parts. Most townships were living in extreme poverty. They made less than living wage, and relied on group collection. This is where friends and families combined their money to buy food/items/electricity or the entire group. They had to share often because the could not afford not to. The men of the townships would travel to find work in urban areas. Most would only come home with a two day/week salary. This was because they often could not get to work because the busses were too full or they were told they were not needed to come in for work. Women in the townships