In addition, nonwhites could not bring their families with them to the living places near work sights, which encouraged a system of temporary labor. These legal restrictions on non-white increased until the system known as apartheid, which almost completely separated whites from non-whites and barred non-whites from any meaningful participation in any sector of society, became the norm for South Africa. Under the Bantu Authorities Act of 1951, the South African government reestablished tribal organizations for black Africans and established Bantustans or homelands for Africans; while they were ostensibly free, they were politically and economically dependent upon South Africa and could best be described as ghettos. Furthermore, the government established a state of emergency, so that all protest, even non-violent protest, was dealt with harshly and swiftly. Many South Africans, both black and white, began to call for the end of apartheid in the 1970s. Nelson Mandela, who would eventually become President of South Africa, was one of the most vocal black South African opponents of apartheid, and he was jailed for his protests....

Prior to that, in the 1960s, it was clear that apartheid had become a major international issue. In 1961, South Africa was forced to withdraw from the Commonwealth because of Apartheid. "In 1985 both the United Kingdom and the United States imposed selective economic sanctions on South Africa" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009). This led to an abolishment of the pass laws, but segregation was still the legal norm. In 1990 and 1991, President F.W. de Klerk repealed the vast majority of apartheid legislation, and, in 1993 a constitution that enfranchised non-whites was adopted. It took effect in 1994, which was the first year of open-race elections, which resulted in a multi-racial coalition government. Legal apartheid is no longer the norm in South Africa, but its social, economic, and political effects continue to impact life there.
References

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. (2009). Apartheid. Retrieved May 13, 2012 from History.com website: http://www.history.com/topics/apartheid

Hazlett, T. (2008). Apartheid. Retrieved May 13, 2012 from Library of Economics and Liberty

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