p1.2.2 protests and action (SA) Flashcards
rights and protest: case study 2 (apartheid in south africa) (44 cards)
what were the 1949 durban riots?
the causes of these riots, which resulted in the deaths of 142 people, has been attributed to africans accusing indian shopkeepers of exploiting them by charging high prices for food. wholesale prices kept rising - tea, for example, had been 5p in the pre-war era, and was now 20p. in the disturbances, 58 stores mainly belonging to indians were destroyed
some people argue that the real reason behind the riots was the shocking conditions in which africans were forced to live-indians just happened to be the unlucky victims of their anger because they lived in close proximity.
an official inquiry into the unrest acknowledged that living conditions in african areas were dreadful, but stated that africans, with their low standards and expectations, were happy to live in them
what was the approach to non-violence in different groups?
the ANC and the SAIC were influenced by the tactics of gandhi in india. the idea of non-violence was crucial - the theory was that most authorities cannot win their case by using violence against protesters who do not retaliate
for the ANC, non-violence was more of a tactic. it was prepared to adopt it so long as it seemed to have a chance of success. if the authorities kept responding to peaceful protest with violence, the ANC was prepared to rethink the policy
what was the 1950 may strike?
-> organised by the SAIC and the SACP - one day strike to protest against apartheid legislation
with the authorities notified of the report, the actual day was only a partial success - there were reports of employers locking their workforce in overnight to ensure they couldn’t strike and security forces escorted people to work. 66% of africans stayed at home to attended protest meetings
how did communism link to the may stayaway?
the government was always prepared to blame african protest on communist agitation. the suppression of communism act of 1950 defied communism as any scheme aimed at ‘brinding about any political and socio-economic change within the union by the promotion of disturbance and disorder’. communsim was therefore a euphemism for any form of unrest, and this act could be used to imprison anyone for anything the authorities deemed subversive
what was the day of protest 1950?
this was arranged in response to the banning of the communist party in 1950. it was a joint action by the SAIC, ANC, APO and SACP. many urban africans refused to go to work and there was a large protest of 5000 people in the location of bethel, in the transvaal. it was truly the first cooperative protest between all the opposition groups
what was the ANC youth league?
-> created in 1944, but from 1949 pushed for more militant
in 1944, mandela was one of the founders of the ANCYL, with the aim of turning the ANC into a mass movement based on direct action. it was more radical in scope than the ANC and drove a more militant agenda. it was born out of the frustration that peaceful parliamentary protest did not work
why was the defiance campaign launched?
the authorities had shown no inclination to engage the ANC in lawmaking, so it was obvious that the ANC simply had to find a more effective response to the apartheid laws being passed.
earlier demonstrations organised by the ANC, most notably a series of one day strikes, had failed to provide sustained popular resistance to the regime. the old approach had to be replaced by a more cohesive and rigorous plan of action, one which would instill a sense of discipline in the people and inspire them to rally and persist in the face of the inevitable government backlash.
the ANC risked losing credibility among the masses unless it proved capable of providing a more effective response to government brutality. the defiance campaign confirmed the ascendance of of the youth leaders, who advocated for a mass based activism, over the conservative guard of the ANC
what was the NAC?
the national action committee was created in june 1952 to organise a joint action with civil disobedience at its heart. the NAC consisted of representatives of the ANC, the SAIC and the franchise action council (FRAC) - a coloured organisation created to protest the NP government’s decision to remove coloureds from the voting roll
what was the goal of the defiance campaign?
the official goal of the campaign was to force the government to repeal six ‘unjust laws’ that had recently been introduced: the pass laws act, the group areas act, the suppression of communism act, the bantu authorities act, the separate representation of voters act and the stock limitation act
what were the methods used in the defiance campaign?
it was decided that the defiance campaign would be non-violent and divided into two stages:
-> an initial stage of local protest in which participants would break the law by not carrying passes or by staying in urban areas after african curfew and inviting themselves for arrest - the intention being that the numbers arrested would overwhelm the prisons and the authorities ability to cope, and also demonstrate the height of opposition
-> a second stage based on mass defiance which would extend the campaign by strikes and mass protests throughout the country
what were the events of the defiance campaign?
the defiance campaign began with an ANC meeting in johannesburg. it soon developed a powerful momentum: small groups of volunteers deliberately defied apartheid laws in front of crowds of cheering on lookers and in full view of the police. acts of defiance included burning or damaging pass books, using segregated facilities, illegally entering white suburbs and remaining in white only areas after curfew. since these infractions were minor ones, volunteers would be given short custodial sentences and would then repeat the offences.
what was the public response to the defiance campaign?
the public response was very positive - large numbers of blacks and indians were involved and membership of the ANC grew rapidly, from under 20,000 members to over 100,000 in 1953.
why did the campaign end?
the campaign peaked in july and august of 1952 and declined in early 1953. this was because of the widespread rioting that broke out in the eastern cape in october 1952. arousing popular anger against apartheid meant that peaceful protest could easily spill over into violence. this defeated the purpose of civil obedience and provided the authorities with an excuse to use force to crush the campaign. because of this, the government introduced the criminal law amendment act in march 1953. this allowed courts to hand out longer sentences and introduced whipping as a punishment for ‘offences committed by way of protest’
what were the black sash?
-> officially named ‘the women’s defense of the constitution league’
the black sash comprised of mainly disaffected middle-class women whos tactics included mass rallies and silent vigils. the worse distinctive black sashes to symbolise their mourning for the loss of democracy.
they didn’t welcome black or coloured people joining the organisation. they turned their attention to civil rights, initially supporting the anti-pass protests of african women. in the late 1950s, the black sash became a part of the opposition to the apartheid movement.
what tactics did the government use to undermine the defiance campaign?
-> used propaganda to limit support for the protest, saying opposition leaders were living easy lives while the ordinary members were imprisoned
-> tried to infiltrate anti-apartheid groups with spies, often african policemen working undercover
-> tried to blame violence in port elizabeth and east london on the campaign, although the actual causes of these disturbances weren’t related
what measures of repression did the government introduce after the defiance campaign?
1953: government announced its right to suspend all laws if necessary and shift the burden of proof from the state to the accused. if people were arrested and charged, they were now assumed to be guilty unless they could prove their innocence
1953 public safety act: allowed the government to call a state of emergency for up to twelve months, with the power to renew it indefinitely
1956 riotous assemblies act: passed as a response to the mass meeting at kliptown. any open air meetings could be banned if the minister of justice felt they endangered peace or caused hostility between white and african groups
who were the COP?
the COP was an alliance of anti-apartheid congress movements. it’s aims were:
-> to forge a single popular front by uniting all of south africas racial groups
-> to expand the membership and broaden the social base of the ANC, and so turn the freedom struggle into truly a mass movement
-> to draft a freedom charter, which would encapsulate the political goals
-> to consolidate the ANC’s strategy of working together with other parties and racial groups
the plan was that the COP would represent south africans of all races
how did the COP meet?
members of the COP recruited thousands of ‘freedom volunteers’, who would bring the COP to the masses and involve as many ordinary south africans as possible. it was hoped that this would transform the perception of the ANC to a party of narrow, middle class, anti-apartheid elite.
the COP convened as a series of gatherings, conferences, campaigns and rallies. many of the meetings were large and well attended, but most were on a smaller scale in factories and homesteads. volunteers also stressed that all black south africans should become involved in the struggle by registering as members of the ANC and joining in acts of protest and resistance.
how did the treason trial begin?
in december 1956, the authorities arrested 156 of those who attended the kliptown meeting and charged them with high treason. they included the entire leadership of the ANC and most of the other opposition groups. after five months, they were accused of conspiring to overthrow the government and replace it with a communist regime.
from 1957, some defendants were released for lack of evidence and the trial against the remaining 30 defendants began in 1959.
what were the consequences of the treason trial?
the trial finally came to an end in march 1961 with the acquittal of all defendants. it caused financial hardship to those involved and weakened the organisational structures of many of the organisations involved. the government was becoming increasingly ambitious in its apartheid programme and was prepared to use even more oppression to enforce it. there was increasing concerns within the anti-apartheid groups about the efficacy of the ANC cooperating with other ethnic groups and in april 1959 the PAC split away.
what rural protests occurred in zeerust (1957)?
-> chief moiloa refused to enforce pass laws for women: dismissed for non-cooperation with authorities
-> women boycotted the white shop were the passes were distributed
-> women burned passes and boycotted schools where teachers had accepted passes
-> a special police force was appointed to force women to accept passes
what rural protests occured in east pondoland (1960-61)?
-> rebellion against collaboration of chief sigcau with SA government (accused of corruption)
-> violent clashes between residents and police
-> residents boycotted white owned stores
-> state of emergency: promotion of self government act turned local chieftains into government agents, rather than representatives of the people
why did the ANC split after the treason trial?
not all members of the ANC supported the non-racial approach of the freedom charter. they accused the ANC of moving away from ‘africanism’ in favour of a broad multi-racialism. the africanist slogan was ‘government of africans, by africans, for africans’.
this view was in conflict with the principles of the freedom charter, which called for a democratic government of all south africans, regardless of race. the africanists also disagreed with the ANC leadership about the most effective way of organising resistance. they believed that the ANC approach as too cautious.
what was the PAC?
in march 1959, a group of africanists, led by robert sobukwe and potlako leballo, broke away from the ANC to form the PAC. sobukwe wanted the PAC to take inspiration from countries in the north, where africans were gaining independence from colonial rule. within a short time, PAC membership rose to 27,000
