effect of white Supremacy in the 20th century in South Africa

 effect of white Supremacy in the 20th century in South Africa

The colonial period was characterized by a lot of human rights abuse. South Africa is one of the countries highly remembered for the struggle for freedom. The white settlers who included the Dutch and the Britons used Black South Africans as slaves to build their interests in South Africa. The Apartheid is highly known to have greatly impacted the lives of black people in South Africa in many ways. The situation was characterized by discriminatory policies that favored the whites while the blacks languished in dilapidated living conditions and denied development opportunities. The practices, policies, and individual experiences of black people in South Africa remain a major discussion across the world. In this regard, the focus of this study is to explore the effect of white Supremacy in the 20th century in South Africa with a key interest in understanding policies, practices, and individual experiences of the black South Africans during the period.

Discussion

White supremacy was witnessed within South Africa during the 20th century through the victimization of the majority of blacks in the country. In 1945, the Second World War was witnessed across the globe. South Africa was undergoing robust urbanization. The new immigrants took over comfortable areas like Soweto and barred the Black South Africans from accessing them without special consideration. The blacks were used to build and develop towns but were not allowed to access them at will (Anderson, David & Daniel, 1). The 20th century was characterized by the formation of political parties that sought to free the black South Africans from imperialism. Leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Anton Lembede are highly regarded for the roles they played in fighting for freedom and the end of discrimination against the black people. The formation of parties such as the African Nation Congress (ANC) represented Africans and the agitation for their freedom and equal treatment (Clark, 10).

Policy Effects in South Africa

In 1948, the leading government was established under the apartheid policy. According to Clark and Worger (2), the apartheid period went on from 1948 to the 1990s and was characterized by racism and discrimination against the majority of black South Africans. Segregation of the Blacks was witnessed as policies were continuously instituted to discriminate against the blacks. The policies set were based on the supremacy of the minority whites. As noted by Eke, Obiora, and Aloy (8), pass laws were enacted as part of the policies that hindered black individuals from accessing certain places. The black people were not allowed to access urban areas unless they had acquired jobs. The black people were not also allowed to marry the whites because the former were considered inferior in society. Laws were passed requiring the black people to carry passbooks that identified them. The black people resulted in revolting against the government by adopting policies of petitioning their grievances and sending letters addressing their grievances. Nationalism policies evolved and in the end led to violent resistance against discrimination.

Practices Effects

The practices witnessed during the 21st century were full of discrimination against the black people in South Africa. As noted by Madlingozi (126), the practices involved controlling blacks by hindering them to have equal opportunities. The effect was the upcoming of leaders who sought to mobilize black South Africans to revolt against imperialism. Leaders such as Mandela mobilized groups to raise their concerns to the ruling government. The concerns were not factored leading to the eruption of violent groups that sought freedom. Some of the practices meted on black Africans were highly cruel. For instance, a video clip portraying Sarafina and other children shows how protests by students were violently handled by the police. Hundreds of students were killed in the process as they tried to seek equal treatment and embrace nationalism (Lubbe, 1). Also, Global News (1) and AJ+ (1) provide more clips that explain further how the situation was in South Africa.

Black South Africans were not allowed to attend the same schools with the whites. The Blacks were forced to have limited access to education and in most cases participated in slavery. The housing was dilapidated as compared to where the whites lived. Although the blacks were not allowed to marry the whites, the latter would rape the former’s women and little was done about it. Harassment was the mode of the day including torture for not following the set policies and trying to resist or complain. In 1950s black South Africans reorganized more and continued to resist mistreatment. For instance, .the boycotting of white’s businesses became the order of the period. Workers went on strike and violent and non-violent strikes were witnessed. The greatest effect that resulted from protests, boycotts, and violence was the deterioration of the economy. The global society also distanced itself from the South African government and called upon them to stop discrimination.

Effects on Individual Lives and Experiences

South Africa was faced with a terrible situation that caused pain to many black people. The discrimination part hindered black people from getting opportunities for education, jobs, business, and development. Many people suffered from trauma due to discrimination and torture. In other circumstances, violence was meted on people by police leading to injuries and deaths. The breadwinners of many families were killed leading to anguish. Black women were raped which caused psychological suffering. White supremacy could not be sustained due to resistance that followed in the 20th century. However, it cost black South Africans a lot of lives and resources. The continuous leadership of freedom fighters caused their suffering as well. Negotiations were initiated to calm the situations but leaders such as Mandela could not agree with the ruling government leading to their detention and sentencing to life imprisonment. As noted by SAHO (1), various commentators and leaders including Pixley Seme and JBM Hertzog can be noted to have expressed their ideas through speeches and reports showcasing how regeneration in Africa and the struggle for equality in South Africa entailed during the 20th century. One thing in common is that black South Africans suffered physical, psychological, emotional, and material losses due to white supremacy. Currently, some sufferings and divisions are yet to be overcome.

Conclusion

The focus of this study was to explore the effect of white Supremacy in the 20th century in South Africa with a key interest in understanding policies, practices, and individual experiences of the black South Africans during the period. The review shows that the 20th century was characterized by discrimination against the majority of blacks by the minority whites in South Africa. Various policies including apartheid and pass policies among others were introduced to discriminate against blacks. As a result, great economic, social, psychological, physical, and political sufferings were meted on the black people. The policies introduced and their effects have been noted. Practices that affected the black people and experiences have been explored to provide an in-depth understanding.