A story about human infamy

The British extended their empire through Africa during the nineteenth century. There are many white settlers came to get rich by exploiting the natural resources of the natives. That is, we are talking about the typical European colonialist mentality at the height of imperialism. But not only the British but also French, Dutch, Germans and other Europeans were present on the African continent. Racial discrimination against blacks was not new, and much less in the nineteenth century.

Following the reserved and intended slavery only breed that was developed approximately from the fifteenth century onwards, and economic prosperity and civilization reached Europe by the nineteenth century, suggested to many that the white race was, to say in a simple way, superior to the others, and therefore should not share the same spaces, places, times, objects, rights and duties than the inferior races. As a continent Africa mainly populated by black people obviously can already imagine the discriminatory table existed then. One of those places where racism reached its zenith, was the current South African colony in which the British settled predominantly after the First Anglo-Boer War removing the Dutch rule scene in the early twentieth century. That's when the call Union of South Africa born, integrating the territories of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and Orange, subject to the British. The first term was chaired by General L. Bhota, who remained in power until 1919 and declared war on Germany because of what happened in Europe, taking the German colony of South-West Africa and East Africa.

But this man, who noticed that the black population remained majority, representing a danger for whites, began to enact the first laws of segregation in 1913. Then we go to 1923, with land law Native and Native law. The first forbade buy or rent to blacks land for whites only. The other only represented signaling places in urban areas that had been established for whites and blacks. Obviously the former had priority. For example it was unforgivable or even immoral both races share the same table in a restaurant.

During Hertzog government between 1924 and 1939 came another important law: it was not included to blacks when cover. At best a hybrid child of those rare cases that had there, could hide if he was born white and kept mixing tests on your skin.
But to say that these laws began segregation, is absurd, because since decades before existed in South Africa and elsewhere against acts of racial discrimination against blacks. With complete ease one could say that this situation persisted since Europeans set foot in the territories that make up the continent and especially in South Africa. However, it was not until 1948, with the National Party led by Daniel Malan, when laws giving privileges to white above all other races which were not only excluded the natives, but many other immigrants were enacted as the Indians or Malays for example. Was then born apartheid, which means quite simply separation in the Afrikaans language.

Which meant Apartheid  

One of the first laws prohibiting intermarriage which was enacted in 1949. If implemented, it undermined the moral, that is why the government brings to light the following year the Law of immorality which basically prohibited fornication between the two races, also considered illegal or immoral, a crime. And not just black, but with any other race than white. But apartheid, as its name says, involved separating the whites and blacks and other ethnic minorities, all space. That is why the Population Registration Act in which created special places to white, from streets and boulevards, to markets and bathrooms arises in 1950. Of course, the most luxurious and majority were dedicated to those of European descent. Also included in the list of discrimination against Asians who were not even taken into account because it was alleged historically did not belong to these African lands. The question is: yes and white  

Things were increasing until the apartheid became somewhat infamous. For example in 1950 the Group Areas Act, in which each racial, black, white, Asian or mestizo group should be relocated, although if that transgressed their property was enacted. That is, in Spanish simple, they were forced to a forced move. But the apartheid had not yet reached its fullest. Indeed, during 1951 the Law on Prevention of Illegal Occupation, which evicted black people to send them to special camps is issued. Next was the Bantu Authority Act basically complemented the previous one because it created a number of organizations tribes in which blacks can be rearranged. They were enacted many more but we must emphasize especially the Education Act 1953. This created a new system education course, which is taken into account nonwhites. Obviously only prepared children so that from infancy they are instructed in their inferiority to whites.

The Act separated Utilities, issued the same year, finally ended by instituting the above mentioned in which various places, from beaches to streets were marked with signs to determine where they should and should not literally tread people of race black. But there were many complaints, for it Natives Act 1956, where the black population declined pursue legal action in cases of discrimination or forced in various areas of the country removals was created. Then came the Law for the Promotion of Bantu Self-Government, perhaps one of the most prominent. It ended up worse, because now created new independent states for blacks called Bantustans. A total of ten autonomous states which constituted 80% of the population were created. They were deprived of South African citizenship and in the case of force majeure they had to pass through the territories of whites were given something like a passport and your stay was temporary, rarely granted. This was carried out between 1960-1980, two decades in which blacks, mulattos, mestizos and other ethnic minorities, totaling more than 3 million people, suffered cruelly this deportation. It was the closest thing to a ghetto created by Nazi Anglo-Saxon descent.

Toward the end

They were created many other laws that will not detail here, as we believe it has made mention of the most essential and timely to show the inhumanity that was apartheid and those who defended this policy. Of course, there were some who resisted. This led to the emergence of the African National Congress. Obviously its main objective was to create a state without discrimination. Protests and clashes began with serious repression that left victims over the years. It was by then the sixties, the UN did not intervene and similar events acaecían in the United States for the same reasons of racial segregation, where there had Luther King, and indeed, in South Africa soon emerged a leader, not He proclaimed himself as such, but over time his name would make history.The latter conducted in mid-1964 trial was sentenced to life imprisonment. Given this outrage, the UN finally intervenes and marked the beginning of the end for the Apartheid, though still short of almost three decades before it is completely undermined. Obviously discriminatory measures intensified as racist whites reacted and defended in international opinion.

They came some painful events such as Soweto where to severe police repression schoolchildren were killed because of their protests and. By the eighties, some whites are absolutely opposed apartheid, although they were a majority. Their leader was Helen Suzman, who like Mandela, who looked with hope to the day her both black and white, homeland live in harmony. Then came the independent stage in 1961 when the British Commonwealth was abandoned.

But it was the beginning of the wars with neighboring countries, the temporal controversial US support for South Africa was declared anti-communist, building its first nuclear bomb, detonated in 1979, economic sanctions, international disrepute most countries, and finally isolation. For the arrival of the nineties, South Africa remained the country ruled by a white minority throughout the continent. Definitely something totally anachronistic and inhumane.

But everything has an end. In 1990, President De Kler announced that initiated the elimination of discriminatory laws and would also outlawed political parties, do not be over. Obviously, this indicated that South Africa would seek rapidly and radically new direction. It was included in the list the African National Congress. Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 along with other pro-abolitionist leaders Apartheid and this, in addition to De Kler, would receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

In the following months, until 1991, they were dismantling all apartheid laws. In the coming years was advancing the idea of ​​creating a new constitution. In 1992 was the last time that only white people voted. On April 27, 1994 were conducted universal elections, the first in the country, and Apartheid, a shameful human creation as it once was Nazism and the Inquisition, passed in the coming months to its decline and finally to the history.