SOUTH AFRICA — The Early Development of Apartheid

The founda6onal building blocks of apartheid were cemented in South African

society decades before 1948. While largely inaccurate historical accounts clouded

the world’s understanding of apartheid for the bulk of the twen6eth century, the

eventual disintegra6on of apartheid in 1994 has offered us the golden opportunity

to engage in a more honest discussion concerning the complex history of early racial

and social segrega6on in the region.1 This paper examines several key historical

events in order to shed light on the damaging effects of Bri6sh imperialism and

rapidly escalating nationalism in South Africa during the late nineteenth and early

twentieth centuries in South Africa.