south africa Flashcards
(27 cards)
two cases in one
apartheid - policy of segregation put in place by the afrikaner-dominated racist authoritarian regime that held power in south africa from 1948-1994
afrikaans: the language of south africa’s dutch settlers
political achievements
peacefully transition from oppressive minority rule to broad-based multicultural democracy
social achievements
vanquished a racist authoritarian regime and forged a common nation from its ashes
economically
has also pursued a difficult path, but one that has yielded positive rules
2010: became first african country to host fifa world cup
ongoing social problems
violent crime
racial tensions
endemic corruption
hiv/aids
poverty and inequality
single party dominance
dutch rule - what was it
1652: dutch east india company arrived in cape town
- settled area for resupplying ships
enslaved native khoisans & imported enslaved people from southeast asia
boers: early dutch settlers in south africa (also describes afrikaners)
quickly developed their own culture
dutch reformed church: conservative protestant church that has historically been central to afrikaner culture
1795 - british empire seized colony
1814 - dutch ceded formal control to britihs
boer migration
great trek: epic migration of afrikaners (voortrekkers) into the interior of south africa in 1835 to escape british colonization
voortrekkers: afrikaner pioneers who migrated into south africa’s interior to escape british colonists
voortrekkers met strong initial resistance from xhosa & bantu
- bloody battles end w afrikaner victory
voortrekkers created two sates (boer republics)
british grudgingly tolerated their existence until the discovery of diamond and gold in the late 1800s
boer wars
two epic wars fought between boers and british that ended in the defeat of the afrikaners and their integration into the union of south africa
outnumbered 5 to 1, boers fought tenaciously
british used concentration camps
20,000 afrikaners and 15000 black south africans died.
boers and british formalized a peace agreement into the union of south africa: name given in 1910 to the british colony that integrated british and afrikaner colonists after the boer wars
renaissance of afrikaner power
new colony was overtly discriminatory
- native land act of 1913 - black south africans could not own land outside of designated reserves
1912 - african national congress: south africa’s major anti-apartheid liberation movement; also the governing party since the return of democracy in 1994
afrikaners shape new government - how?
first elections of union of south africa included english speakers and afrikaners
english controlled most of the country’s wealth
afrikaners organized to push tehir interests
National Party - defunct party now that created apartheid and dominated politics during that era
advocated for afrikaan recognition
1930s - white supremacy policies
apartheid era- what was it
1948 - NP takes office, aiming at consolidating afrikaner power and eliminating all vestiges of black political participation
population registration act of 1950
- divided population into four distinct racial groups - white, african, coloured, indian
- became basis of later policies disenfranchising black population
control through the bantustans
bantustans: tribal homelands established by the apartheid regime to deprive the Black majority of South African citizenship
bantustan land was largely infertile and institutionalized poverty in the black population
bantustans were used as tools of white control as “tribal citizens” black south africans were unable to vote for south african gov
how was apartheid as repression pretending to be democracy
geographic segregation as a tool of control
- members of each group were only allowed to reside in areas determined by the government
- black south africans were required to carry internal visas to travel
- other racial groups forcibly relocated to new residential areas
laws reinforced segregation
banned marriage and beaches and restrooms were segregated
how was apartheid built
group areas act: the centerpiece of apartheid legislation that divided south africans into four racial categories and required strict segregation of housing along racial lines
nonwhite population was often forcibly removed
struggle against apartheid
nelson mandela headed - ANC led series of nonviolent civil disobedience
state repression
then anc radicalized and allied w communist party
they were banned, mandela was arrested
repression and murder of thousands
united nations criticisms of apartheid
condemned in 1952
imposed arms embargo in 1977
transition to democracy factors
demographic pressure and growing unrest
economic decline
internal reforms
changing international context
skilled leadership
demographic pressure
white population declining, black population growing.
black economic power expanded
UDF - united democratic front - unifed anti-apartheid coalition created in 1983
gov increased repression
economic decline
1980s - problems of economic model became apparent
- apartheid state was costly and inefficient to run
- mercantilist policies used to favor and protect white businesses produced uncompetitive industries and services
internal reforms
leading afrikaner politicians began to favor reform
- convinced apartheid was an anachronistic system
paved way for democratic transition
- minor reforms under pm botha (late 1970s)
changing international context
1980s: increasing embargoes limit trade and foreign investment
- us and uk continued to trade w the regime
winding down of cold war impact
apartheid regime could no longer claim to be fighting communism to justify its repression
collapse of ussr weakened support for more radical sectors
constitution
1996 constitution attempts to balance majority and minority concerns
affirms basic human rights for all
uphold’s citizen’s rights to housing, health care, food, water
detailed provisions limiting state powers
firmly protects property rights
defines itself as the supreme law of the land
ANC (african national congress)
dominant party since 1994
- led struggle against apartheid regime
has stood for racial and gender equality
strong state role in expanding economic opportunities for nonwhites
emphasis on unity
