When Did Apartheid End in South Africa?
The harsh, institutionalized system of racial segregation in South Africa known as apartheid, or “apartheid” in Afrikaans, was abolished in the early 1990s through a series of steps that culminated in the establishment of a democratic government in 1994. Apartheid was named in Afrikaans by the white-ruled Nationalist Party of South Africa in 1948. Pretoria’s white minority government was overthrown by years of bloody internal unrest, waning white commitment, international economic and cultural sanctions, economic hardships, and the end of the Cold War. An essential conflicting role was played in both Apartheid’s initial existence and its eventual demise by the gradual but total adjustment of U.S. policy toward the regime.
History
Even while many segregationist practices trace back to the early decades of the 20th century, Apartheid—the most severe manifestation of legislated racism—began in 1948 with the establishment of the Nationalist Party. The Cold War was just beginning at the time. Limiting Soviet expansion was Harry Truman’s top priority in terms of foreign policy. The Truman Administration decided not to oppose the Apartheid system of the anti-communist South African government in an effort to preserve an ally against the Soviet Union in southern Africa, despite supporting a domestic civil rights agenda to advance the rights of black people in the United States. As a result, it became possible for succeeding administrations to covertly back the Apartheid regime as a staunch opponent of communism.
When it ended
Beginning in 1989, the consequences of internal unrest and international condemnation resulted in dramatic changes. South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha quit when it became clear that the ruling National Party (NP) had lost faith in him because he hadn’t been able to bring order to the country. His successor, F. W. de Klerk, in a move that surprised observers, made the announcement in his opening address to Parliament in February 1990 that he was lifting the ban on the ANC and other black liberation parties, allowing freedom of the press, and releasing political prisoners. The country waited in anticipation for the release of Nelson Mandela who walked out of prison after 27 years on February 11, 1990.
Mandela’s release sent shockwaves through South Africa and the rest of the world. Mandela delivered his message to the international media after speaking to throngs of supporters in Cape Town, where he pledged to continue the struggle but advocated for peaceful change. He travelled the globe, stopping in the United States to address Congress in plenary session.
Following the United States’ and Prime Minister de Klerk’s agreement to hold democratic elections in the country, the United States lifted sanctions and increased foreign aid, and many of the United States companies that had pulled out of the country during the 1980s came back with new investments and joint ventures. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president in April 1994.
