Why did the National party in South Africa put forward the policy of apartheid in the 1948 general election campaign?

Mizanur Rahman

South Africa

Question 2

Why did the National party in South Africa put forward the policy of apartheid in the 1948 general election campaign?

Why was the policy of apartheid put forward in the 1948 election? Apartheid means segregation and white domination of all other races. Was apartheid put forward cause of Afrikaners fear of change, fear of blacks or cause apartheid was going to be a vote winner among whites?

The white South Africans feared about black South African was change. The Afrikaners were frightened of losing their culture and language. The Afrikaners community was very worried by the ‘Swart Gevaar” (the black danger). The A.N.C was getting well organised and had started a big campaign for more rights for blacks. The world was becoming less segregated and more integrated; this was for whites national suicide. Afrikaners feared blacks protesters, such as the A.N.C, which was an active black political organisation. The A.N.C set up a youth league: Which the white government feared increasingly. In 1943 the A.N.C published “Africans Claims”, this made clear how much the blacks wanted freedom, equality and democracy. In 1944 the A.N.C led a series of demonstrations against passed laws. In 1946 the black mine workers went on strike for higher wages and the right to have trade unions. The mine owners were supported by the government and broke up the strike using force. Six died and more than 400 injured.

The government wanted to make sure the country was in segregation, so it pass a law called the 1950 “Group Areas Act”. The “Group Areas Act” divided South Africa into separate areas for different races. Only one race would be allowed to live in one area and non-whites were banned from towns and cities. People who lived in wrong areas were forced to move. Most of the areas were reserved for whites. The “Group Areas Act” never real work, the task was to big. Because this didn’t work another law was passed in 1951, which banned illegal squatting. This ...

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The government wanted to make sure the country was in segregation, so it pass a law called the 1950 “Group Areas Act”. The “Group Areas Act” divided South Africa into separate areas for different races. Only one race would be allowed to live in one area and non-whites were banned from towns and cities. People who lived in wrong areas were forced to move. Most of the areas were reserved for whites. The “Group Areas Act” never real work, the task was to big. Because this didn’t work another law was passed in 1951, which banned illegal squatting. This stopped anyone entering land or building without permission.

The Afrikaners wanted more powers because in the 1950s and 1940s some Afrikaners became poor and wanted to return to a stronger position. The national party wanted a completely independent genuine Afrikaner government for South Africa. Also the Afrikaners needed a simple vote-winning programme for white voters. Afrikaners believed they were superior and wanted to protect themselves from a threat of blacks in jobs and politics. Because they believed in white supremacy there was many laws passed. The “Colour Bar Act, which stopped blacks from doing skilled and semi-skilled jobs. The “Native Land Act” which gave the whites 92.7 percent of land. The “Immorality Act” banned any sexual intercourse between whites and blacks. Smuts was very unpopular in the years of 1945-48 because he was old and had lost touch with the changing moods of the many Afrikaners. Some Afrikaners were in economical difficulty and some ex-service men felt they were treated badly when they were up front. Smuts didn’t do anything about large numbers of blacks moving into cities and the overcrowded Shanty Town worried the whites. Many whites believed they were earning less then blacks. Black demonstrating and speaking with confidence as never before. Many whites thought Smuts was too soft on blacks. In 1948 Smuts published “Fagan Report” before the election. The report state that the idea of total segregation could never work; that industry and trade needed a permanent settled black population in the cities; and that it was quite impossible for all the present black towns people ever to return to the already overcrowded reserves. He recommended that black families be encouraged to settle in locations in a carefully controlled way.

The reason the National party won, because they were well organised and the “Apartheid” plan of the Sauer Report proved a vote winner amongst the white voters. Many farmers and whites that voted for the United Party in 1943 voted for the National Party in 1948. Further more Malan did a deal with the Afrikaner Party that won him vital seats. Nonetheless, Smuts won more than 50% of the votes cast against Malans 40%. Smuts lost because fewer votes were needed to win the rural, mainly nationalist seats, compared the urban ones.