In 1973, the UN General Assembly adopted a convention on the suppression of the crime of apartheid. This policy of racial discrimination has been actively pursued by the South African leadership for several decades. Subsequently, the term began to apply to segregation by skin color and discrimination on other grounds, conducted by the leadership of other countries. The crimes that were committed against the black population of South Africa, the policies of apartheid, as well as its manifestations observed in different parts of the world, will be covered in this article.
Background
The first European settlements appeared on the territory of the modern Republic of South Africa in 1652. Initially, these were Protestant colonists from the Netherlands, and later French Huguenots fled there. After 100 years, the Cape border wars began, associated with the desire of the “whites” to seize new lands suitable for agriculture, which the local black people considered their own for centuries.
At the beginning of the 19th century, a colony in which most white citizens came from or descended from the Netherlands was conquered by the British. Immediately after this, the English parliament decided to abolish slavery. In 1833, this decision began to be implemented on the territory of the colonies, which led to discontent from the white farmers of the Boers. Their organized resistance led to the formation of two independent states (Transvaal and Orange Republic) and to two wars between local citizens of Dutch descent and the British. The defeat of the Boers in the last of them led to the formation in 1910 of the South African Union, which became the dominion of the British Empire. In 1939, the right-wing National Party (NP) was formed in the country, which did not hide its sympathy for the Third Reich and advocated racial segregation.
The start of apartheid politics
The word "apartheid", which is translated from Afrikaans (a dialect of the Dutch language, originally formed among European settlers of South Africa) was used in 1917 by John Christian Smuts, who later became the Prime Minister of South Africa.
According to the definition adopted by academia, apartheid is the official policy of racial segregation pursued by the ruling National Party in South Africa, (later in South Africa) from 1948 to 1994. However, its first manifestations at the state level were already identified in 1912, when it entered into force in the Land Act and restrictions were introduced on the hiring of black citizens.
The rise to power of the extreme right
During the 1948 election campaign, the NP presented a program based on apartheid politics. This allowed her to become the leader of the race, and then form a coalition government with the Afrikaners Party. Thus, people came to power in the country who were members or supported the extremely nationalist organization Bruderbond, which included the descendants of European immigrants.
Key Points
In any civilized country, for decades, children have been taught that apartheid is evil. However, many do not know what he expressed.
For those who are not familiar with this phenomenon, let us say that apartheid in South Africa was based on the Group Regions Act adopted in 1950. He ordered the Bantu peoples living in the country since the 6th century AD to settle only in special reservations, the so-called Bantustans. Departure beyond their borders and appearance in cities could be carried out only by special permission or with a free workplace. At the same time, the black population was exclusively involved in low-paid and non-prestigious work, as a rule, in the service sector of “white” citizens. Over time, indigenous people were stripped of almost all civil rights.
Speaking in numbers, during the apartheid years in South Africa, the government tried to divide the country into separate states, allocating 87% of the land to “white”, “colored” and Indians, and 13% dividing among the ten “reservations” for black Africans, which accounted for about 80% of all South African residents.
The manifestations of apartheid in education and health
In response to criticism from international human rights organizations and representatives of the European “left” movements, South African authorities claimed that such services were “separate but equal” for the black and “white” population. However, their quality was significantly different. In particular, although there was no shortage of medical workers in Bantustans, their professional training left much to be desired.
The South African government pointed out that this is due to the fact that for several years the government has demanded that the leadership of universities for “blacks” be more lenient to black students so that the latter have the opportunity to receive higher education, even though they entered universities with insufficient baggage of school knowledge.
Violations of fundamental human rights
At the time of apartheid, laws were passed in South Africa that prohibited mixed marriages, as well as adultery and extramarital sex between people with different skin colors. In addition, the country introduced a racial classification of citizens into “whites,” “color,” Indians and Africans. This was the first case of its kind after the fall of the Third Reich.
The decisive sign by which a South African citizen was assigned to a particular group was skin color. However, there were frequent cases when members of the same family fell into different racial groups. This gave rise to human tragedies, since if a person was ceased to be considered “white” and attributed to “Indians” or “Africans,” his status would drop sharply and he would lose many civil rights.
Among the normative acts that humiliate human dignity on a racial basis, was the law on the provision of separate services. According to this document, representatives of different races were forbidden to use the same public facilities (lounges, etc.). At the same time, clubs, cinemas, cafes, etc. for the “whites” were distinguished by increased comfort and high quality services.
Political discrimination
In the apartheid era, non-“white” citizens were deprived of civil rights. The Government of South Africa, this circumstance that caused the anger of the international community, was justified by the fact that there was a plan according to which the black population should gradually move to the territories allotted to them. In this regard, the authorities considered it inappropriate to give them suffrage outside Bantustanov.
African National Congress struggles with apartheid
This political organization of the African population of South Africa was founded in 1912, and the cause of its creation was the primary manifestation of apartheid (a brief summary of this can be found in the memoirs of contemporaries).
For 30 years (from 1960 to 1990), the party was in an illegal situation, and its members were persecuted. During this period, the African National Congress (ANC) was actively supported by the leadership of the USSR. Hundreds of its members studied at the educational institutions of the Soviet Union, and up to 2,000 fighters of the military wing of the ANC were trained at military schools and camps operating in the territory of Angola.
Although the performances of the black population were recorded from the very beginning of apartheid, these actions became widespread only in the 60s. In response, the government began to apply more stringent measures to the discontented. In particular, in 1960, in the village of Sharpeville, the police opened fire on demonstrators, killing 69 unarmed blacks. It was after these events that the leaders of the ANC created a military organization, and harsh pressure from the world community led South Africa to cease its membership in the British Commonwealth and announced the formation of the Republic of South Africa.
In 1976, the Black Revolt in Soweto, which spread to other cities, led to the imposition of a state of emergency. The unrest continued for about a year. The ensuing repression and other apartheid crimes forced the West to impose sanctions against South Africa. As a result, in 1978-1979, Prime Minister Baltazar Forster and some members of his government were forced to resign.
Fighting apartheid internationally
The UN has repeatedly expressed its concern about discrimination against the black population of South Africa. In the 1970s and 1980s, the struggle against apartheid was among the UN priorities. Other international organizations joined in. As a result of their activities, the racist regime of South Africa was isolated, which did not affect the country's economy in the best way and made the authorities think about the need to revise apartheid. This mission was undertaken by the last, to date, “white” South African president Frederic de Klerk, who was jokingly called the South African Gorbachev. His efforts were highly praised by the international prize, proof of which is the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize policy to this.
Nelson Mandela
A well-known human rights activist, who is a representative of the younger branch of the ruling dynasty of one of the regions of South Africa, has always been distinguished by a rebellious character. This led to his removal from the university and his escape from his family to Johannesburg in order to avoid a marriage imposed by relatives. After some time, Mandela, who nevertheless managed to get a higher humanitarian education in absentia and enter the law faculty of Witwatersrand University, met there with the “white” wrestlers with apartheid Joe Slovo and Harry Schwartz. They became his faithful companions and subsequently took up posts in his government. In 1944, Mandela became a member of the ANC and headed the Youth League of this organization. At the same time, he was heavily influenced by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and considered the only right solution to the non-violent struggle against the apartheid regime.
Later, the politician came to the conclusion about the need for armed struggle, since peaceful protests were ineffective. Mandela has repeatedly been imprisoned for his anti-government activities. During the trial, which took place on June 12, 1964, he and his associates were sentenced to capital punishment. Until 1990, Nelson Mandela was in prison, most of which was held in solitary confinement. His release from prison was broadcast by television in dozens of countries around the world.
In 1994, Mandela became President of South Africa, and this event put an end to the history of apartheid.
In other countries
The term “apartheid” also applies to other countries. In Saudi Arabia, in particular, women are discriminated against in accordance with Sharia law. They are deprived of electoral rights and the right to vote. The accusations of apartheid can also be heard against Israel, where the Palestinians are infringed.
Now you know what apartheid is. Briefly and clearly this phenomenon can be characterized by the words “separation” and “discrimination”. Unfortunately, some of its manifestations can be found today. It is hoped that humanity will someday cease to separate and discriminate people by gender, color, etc., although at the moment it sounds like utopia.