Apartheid was a system of racial segregation in South Africa that was enforced from 1948 to 1994.
Apartheid can be translated to “apartness” in Afrikaans, and it is derived from the Dutch word “apart” which means “separate”. It was enacted as a way to separate the races in South Africa, with whites being the dominant race and blacks being oppressed.
Apartheid is a form of systematic discrimination against people based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, or other aspects of their identity. It is defined as “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them”. The term came into use after the system’s implementation in 1948.
Who started apartheid in South Africa?
Hendrik Verwoerd was the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 to 1966. He was the leader of the National Party and introduced apartheid to South Africa in 1948. He is known as the architect of apartheid.
Verwoerd’s ideology was based on racial separation, which he believed would create a society that was more stable and prosperous. He abolished all forms of Black representation in Parliament, rejected the idea of common citizenship for all South Africans, and made Afrikaans an official language at the expense of English.
What was the first apartheid law in South Africa?
The first apartheid law in South Africa was the Group Areas Act of 1950. It divided the population into different racial groups and allowed for the forced removal of people from their homes if they were not from the same racial group.
