South Africa: The Rise And Fall Of Apartheid -

: The government created ten "homelands" (Bantustans) for Black South Africans, stripping them of their South African citizenship and forcing them into impoverished, semi-independent territories. The Struggle and Resistance

: Ongoing strikes, township revolts, and the work of the United Democratic Front (UDF) made the country nearly ungovernable.

: In 1990, President F.W. de Klerk unbanned opposition parties and released Nelson Mandela. After four years of tense negotiations, the first multiracial elections were held on April 27, 1994 , resulting in Mandela becoming the country’s first Black president. Enduring Legacy South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid

: Thousands of students protested the mandatory use of Afrikaans in schools. The brutal police response, which killed hundreds, drew intense international condemnation and sparked a new wave of internal militancy. The Fall of Apartheid (1980s–1994)

: The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified all citizens into four groups: White, Black (Bantu), Coloured (mixed race), and Indian/Asian. : The government created ten "homelands" (Bantustans) for

Apartheid (meaning "apartness" in Afrikaans ) was a formal system of institutionalized racial segregation and white minority rule in South Africa that lasted from . While racial discrimination existed in South Africa for centuries under Dutch and British colonial rule, the 1948 election of the National Party (NP) codified these practices into rigid, all-encompassing laws. The Rise of Apartheid (1948–1960s)

: Global boycotts, trade embargoes, and economic sanctions from countries like the U.S. and UK crippled the South African economy. de Klerk unbanned opposition parties and released Nelson

Resistance grew in tandem with oppression, led by groups like the and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) .