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Setting up apartheid, 1948 to 54
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In 1948 the National Party won power in South Africa and began building apartheid: a system of strict racial separation.
The 1948 election
Only white South Africans could vote in national elections (with very limited exceptions).
The National Party, supported mainly by Afrikaners, won by promising apartheid ('separateness') to keep white control.
The National Party, supported mainly by Afrikaners, won by promising apartheid ('separateness') to keep white control.
The main laws
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (1949): banned marriage between white people and other groups.
Population Registration Act (1950): classified every person by race.
Group Areas Act (1950): assigned separate living areas to each race; many families were forcibly moved.
Population Registration Act (1950): classified every person by race.
Group Areas Act (1950): assigned separate living areas to each race; many families were forcibly moved.
Controlling daily life
Pass laws: Black South Africans had to carry passes to be in 'white' areas.
Reserves: Black people were expected to live in poor rural reserves.
Separate Amenities Act (1953): separate beaches, buses, toilets and parks, which did not have to be equal.
Bantu Education Act (1953): a separate, inferior education to prepare Black children for low-paid work.
Reserves: Black people were expected to live in poor rural reserves.
Separate Amenities Act (1953): separate beaches, buses, toilets and parks, which did not have to be equal.
Bantu Education Act (1953): a separate, inferior education to prepare Black children for low-paid work.
Explain how the Population Registration Act made other apartheid laws work.
- It classified every South African by race.
- Laws on marriage, housing and amenities all depended on knowing a person's race.
- So it was the foundation of the whole system.
Answer: Every other apartheid law relied on its racial classification.
1948: the National Party won on a promise of apartheid. Key laws: Mixed Marriages (1949), Population Registration (1950), Group Areas (1950), pass laws, reserves, Separate Amenities (1953) and Bantu Education (1953).
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