resistance to apartheid Flashcards
1955-78 (16 cards)
Freedom Charter
and its imapcts
1955 - most important document of the resistance to apartheid
Presented awards to significant leaders (Huddleston, Yusuf Dadoo, Luthuli), but last two were unable to receive prize due to their ban from ‘political meetings’
Generated publicity due to the arrests that took place, gave the ANC a basis to work towards / unite the group
–> response to government’s arrests following defiance campaign
Treason Trials
results
1956 - Government’s response to the freedom charter
Charged 156 people with high treason (betraying the country), most leaders of ANC included
Tried to prove that it was an act of communism
On trial for five years, unable to campaign politically therefore the opposition to apartheid was weakened
–> extremely significant, many main/prominent leaders arrested and prevented them from activism
uMkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation - MK)
1961 formation - Encouraged by Mandela: Belief amongst the ANC leadership that only peaceful protest would not be able to bring any change
Also because security forces never hesitated to use violence, almost ‘following’ their example
Intended as a last resort, avoid fatalities
Blew up power stations, wanted to sabotage government buildings
Long-term goal to train for guerilla war (only if truly necessary)
Sharpeville Massacre
1960 - Response to protests from PAC against pass laws, where the crowd surrounded jails to bait the police
Police open fired after the crowd’s protest around the police office
69 protestors killed, 180 wounded
Also sparked more protests
Pan Africanist Congress
1959 - participated in civil disobedience, anti-Pass Law demonstrations.
A pass law demonstration lead to 20,000 women marching in praetoria
Ended up being counterproductive, led to more economic losses for those present without pass (government was stronger than protest)
PAC formed because they disagreed with ANC racial inclusivity, wanted a nation (at the end) with only Blacks (more for young people)
Sharpeville happened vaguely because of the competition betwen PAC and ANC (PAC knew ANC wanted to hold their protest as well, decided to hold theirs earlier to gain more of a political standing)
Sobukwe was disillusioned by the ANC, an ineffective stratedgy of peaceful protests asw, also bc he thought the movement was full of communists
Impact of Sharpeville
(happened in 1960) Led to international impact, images of the massacre shocked global opinion, drew global attention
Investors withdrew money, short economic crisis in South Africa
Sparked additional protest (domestically), protest in the cape involving 30,000 people
Led to mass arrests
Outlawment of ANC and PAC
initial impact of MK
Extremely Limited impact in the 1960s, was not able to really hurt the regime or force political change (not a threat)
Even though it showed that the government was unable to prevent physical destruction of public buildings
Events leading to Rivonia Trial
1960 - Leaders and plans (operation Mayibuye) found at Liliesleaf farm (1963), link between MK and Mandela found, and lead to rivonia trials and life imprisonment of Mandela and the other leaders on Robben Island
Events hugely important in the dismantling of Apartheid in the future
Regime was determined to hang the leaders in the Rivonia Trials, much more dangerous
Events of the Rivonia Trial
Decided June 12, 1964 - Regime was determined to hang the leaders in the Rivonia Trials, much more dangerous than what actually happened
Regime hadnpicked all the lawyers / prosecutors, hoping to secure a guilty verdict/death sentence further and lead to more danger for the ANC leaders
Lawyers of the ANC were able to covert courtroom into ‘political theatre’, and were able to draw political attention
Mandela spoke 4 hours without intteruption/break (also drew international attention) on his beliefs on the actions of the ANC
Independent judiciary (Quartus de Wet) found them of guilty of sabotage but not high treason, and believed that their plan was not current, believed their claims
- meaning that they wouldn’t be hanged – led to Mandela’s life sentence, transported to Robben Island with other guilty defendants
Soweto Riots
1976 - Riots by schoolchildren in the largest township of South-west Johannesburg, involved strikes, riots, mass demonstrations
Lasted months, aslo led to similar riots across South Africa
‘triggered’ by the fact that regime wanted to change language of instruction to Afrikaan
- Symbolised the language of their opresser, also a language not used worldwide and therefore would not allow them to ‘leave’ South Africa or create global campagins
- Proof that the regime thought that blacks were only good for obeying the whites in South Africa and nothing else
- Most students did not understanad Afrikaan, and many black teachers were also unable to teach in Afrikaan/did not know how to speak it
consequences / reaction to soweto riots
Government responded with tear gas and gunfire/bullets, but students were brave
High casualties (150 dead, over 4,000 wounded – significantly underreported figures)
Extreme international press, further negative international perception of apartheid (photos of people dying)
(Long term): Politicisation of young people, led them to move to the ANC due to having more power and also its more sucessful MK (rejuvinate the organisation despite the fact that most of its leaders were in prison)
Black Consciousness movement
mid 1960s
Promoted liberation and stressed the responsibility for each individual to achieve it for themseles
Patience and non-violence, Biko argued that PAC failed because of its impatience and how it seeked confrontation
Regime initially liked the concept of black consciousness because the thought it would hep to further seperate and solidify the ideas of segregation
Limitation was that whites / other races were excluded from this movement, meaning that there is a limit on how many people can really support this movement and other (international) governemnts (that were white) were unable to support this because it was racially exclusive.
Steve Biko
Steve Biko: rose to fill the ‘gap’ created by all the main leaders as they were imprisoned in Robben Island
Intelligent, eloquent, charismatic, helped to appeal to younger generations that were annoyed by the lack of progress in the movement
Created/developed the idea of black consciousness
1973 – banned from speaking in public, government thought he was a threat
Biko’s Death
1977 – beaten to death by security forces (that were enforcing apartheid), became a martyr of resistance for the apartheid regime
- UN and US gov questioned the circumstances of his death, lead to more international attention and condemnation
- Lead to protests along south africa (domestically)
International issues (1955-78)
International condemnation - expulsion from the Commonwealth, the OAU and the United Nations. South Africa as pariah state. Sporting activities with the Commonwealth banned, music artists chose not to go to south africa.
Even though there was bad international press of SA, the government still needed South Africa in the cold war context, needed it against communism
Limited international ‘help’ in struggle against apartheid
John Vorster
Prime minister succeeding Verwoerd, 1966-1978, collaborated with verwoerd in the continuation of the system of apartheid - was extremely harsh and vigorous in suppressing opposition
- was more compromiseable than verwoerd, and removed some symbols of the apartheid policies
- understood that power would have to shift
- became president due to health reasons (ceremonial position)
- forced to resign from presidential position 1979 because of his misuse of government money and abusing of the parliamentary system
