Apartheid Laws

Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. Under apartheid laws, the rights of the majority black inhabitants were severely restricted, while the minority white population enjoyed privileges. People were classified by race, leading to separate living areas, schools, and public facilities. Non-whites faced restrictions on movement, employment, and political participation. Resistance to these laws led to significant social and political upheaval, culminating in the end of apartheid and the establishment of a multiracial democracy in 1994, marked by Nelson Mandela’s election as the first black president.