Apartheid

Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterized by a strict racial hierarchy with white citizens at the top, followed by Indians, Coloureds, and black Africans. The system was enforced through a series of apartheid laws, including the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, 1949, and the Population Registration Act, 1950, which classified citizens into racial groups based on appearance, ancestry, and socioeconomic status. Apartheid was marked by forced removals of black Africans from their homes, with over 3.5 million people forcibly relocated between 1960 and 1983. The system was the target of significant international and domestic opposition, leading to international sanctions and internal resistance, including militant activism and violent crackdowns by the government. Reforms were implemented in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the release of prominent anti-apartheid leaders like Nelson Mandela, and the eventual repeal of apartheid legislation in 1991, paving the way for multiracial elections in 1994.learn more on wikipedia