Apartheid in South Africa

Apartheid was the social and political segregation of the non-white population by white minority government officials in South Africa that lasted for almost 50 years in the latter part of the 20th century.

Strict apartheid laws dictated where people were allowed to live, where they could go to school, what occupations they could hold and who they could interact with. Social contact between members of different ethnic groups was prohibited and non-whites were denied governmental representation.

People who openly opposed the system were branded as "communists," often jailed or beaten for striking or demonstrating, and prohibited from forming or belonging to anti-apartheid organizations.

Fast Facts

1. Lasted from 1948-1994
2. "Apartheid" is Afrikaan for "apartness"
3. Population was classified into 4 groups: Blacks, Whites, Asian and Colored
4. Blacks were stripped of their citizenry
5. White minority controlled over 80% of South American land
6. Apartheid had a major effect on women, who suffered from both gender and racial discrimination

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison after publicly denouncing the Apartheid government in 1964. After 28 years in jail, Mandela was released in 1990 and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1993 for his dedication to bringing about the end of government sanctioned racism and abuse in South Africa. In 1994, Mandela became the first democratically elected and the first black President of South Africa.

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