Apartheid South Africa — Key Actors and Groups (1948–1964)
Practice Flashcards
Flip to reveal answersWhat was apartheid?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All 12 Flashcards — Apartheid South Africa — Key Actors and Groups (1948–1964)
Sign up free to track progress and get spaced-repetition review schedules.
Question
What was apartheid?
Answer
A system of laws in South Africa, built by the National Party from 1948, that separated people by race and gave power and privilege to the white minority.
Question
Which party built apartheid, and when did it take power?
Answer
The National Party, which won the whites-only election in 1948 and then passed the apartheid laws.
Question
Who was Hendrik Verwoerd?
Answer
Prime minister from 1958 to 1966, often called the 'architect of apartheid' because he made the system far harsher.
Question
What was the ANC, and when was it founded?
Answer
The African National Congress, founded in 1912. It was the largest resistance movement and wanted a non-racial, democratic South Africa.
Question
What was the Freedom Charter (1955)?
Answer
A document adopted by the ANC and its allies setting out a vision of a free, equal and non-racial South Africa shared by all its people.
Question
How did the PAC differ from the ANC?
Answer
The PAC broke away in 1959 under Robert Sobukwe. It wanted Africans alone to lead and rejected the ANC's non-racial approach and its allies.
Question
What happened at Sharpeville on 21 March 1960?
Answer
During a PAC anti-pass protest, police opened fire on an unarmed crowd, killing about 69 people. It shocked the world.
Question
What did the government do to the ANC and PAC in 1960?
Answer
After Sharpeville it declared a state of emergency and banned both the ANC and the PAC, forcing them underground.
Question
What was Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK)?
Answer
The armed wing of the ANC, meaning 'Spear of the Nation', formed in 1961 to carry out a sabotage campaign after peaceful protest was banned.
Question
What was the Rivonia Trial, and how did it end?
Answer
The 1963–1964 trial of ANC leaders arrested at Rivonia. Nelson Mandela and seven others were sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1964.
Question
Trace how the struggle turned from protest to armed struggle after 1960.
Answer
Protest at Sharpeville → massacre → ANC and PAC banned → leaders go underground → MK launches armed struggle in 1961.
Question
In OPVL, why does a source's purpose matter?
Answer
Purpose is why a source was made. A source written to persuade, like an ANC leaflet, is likely one-sided, which is a key limitation to weigh.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Apartheid South Africa — Key Actors and Groups (1948–1964)
Topic 4.2 hub
Apartheid South Africa (1948–1964)
More from Topic 4.2
All flashcards in this topic
History exam skills
Paper structures & tips
Track your progress with spaced repetition
Sign up free — Aimnova tells you exactly which cards to review and when, so you remember everything before your IB exam.
Start Free