Nationalism in South Africa - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Nationalism in South Africa

The rise of African Nationalism

The Rise of African Nationalism

Started developing in early 1900’s (Formation of Union/Land Act)

Nationalism took on different forms:

All South Africans should be included equallyBlack South Africans should develop their own nationalism

Began with mainly educated elite but eventually spread to the masses

Emerged from the resistance movement to segregation and colonialism

The African People’s Organisation

1902: A group of coloured South African’s from the APO

Led by Dr Abdullah

Abdurahman for 35 yearsAPO protested segregation laws – brought many people togetherThe APO was concerned the right to vote would be removed for coloured peopleThey wanted the vote franchise to extend to the whole unionThey planned to achieve all of this through negotiation

The Formation of the Native Congress

After the SA War it was clear that white people would have political control

A Native Congress was formed in all four colonies

1906: The Transvaal Native Congress wrote to British Parliament but were ignored1909: Delegation of Native Congress members and APO members went to Britain to request interventionThey too were ignored

The Formation of the African National Congress

January 1912: Formation of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC)

This was later renamed to the African National Congress

Reverend John Dube elected as first presidentDr Pixley ka Isaka

Seme

and Sol

Plaatje

played major roles

The aims of ANC:

Unite Africans

Encourage united action to oppose discrimination

Win political rights for all

The ANC sent a delegation to London to protest the 1913 Land Act

This was unsuccessful

After WWI they sent another delegation to the Paris Peace Conference

This was unsuccessfulThe early ANC was a moderate organisationThey relied on peaceful petitions and appeals to authorityThe leaders of the ANC were highly educated menThe supporters of the ANC at this time were mainly the elite black peopleThe ANC did not focus on the needs of black workers or rural areas

The Formation of the African National Congress

The Industrial Commercial Workers Union

The ICU drew much support from the working class

Formed in 1919 by Cape Town dock workers

It organised many protests against the policies of the governmentIt had far more support than the ANC at this timeThe ANC was seen as representing the elite and was too cautiousIn the 1930’s the ANC worked with other organisations but had little success at this stageAfter this black political organisations demanded a stronger form of nationalism

The influence of the Second World War:

The ANC after 1940

Black South Africans in WW2

Roughly 125 000 black South Africans were involved in WW2

They were not allowed to carry arms and did not fight

The SA government feared training them to be soldiers would undermine white dominationApparent irony of fighting for freedom for the Allies yet they had none at home.They felt undervalued

The Atlantic Charter

1941 Roosevelt and Churchill create the Atlantic Charter

It promises support for self-determination

The ANC studied this in terms of Africa and South Africa1943 Xuma creates the document, African Claims in South AfricaIt stated:All adults should be allowed to voteThere should be a fair distribution of land

Africans should be allowed to own land in urban areas

There should be no discrimination in the workplace.

Allies claimed WW2 was being fought for freedom & democracy

Africans therefore hoped the end of the war would end discrimination and oppression

1940 – Dr Alfred

Xuma becomes president of ANCXuma wanted a united front with Coloured and Indian people1943 – Younger ANC members formed the Congress Youth League

Anton

Lembede

, Nelson Mandela, Walter

Sisulu

and Oliver Tambo

They wanted more active nationalism

Nationalism and the ANC after 1945

After WW2 a more determined form of Nationalism emerged

CYL members were elected to positions of leadership

Programme of Action and 1952 Defiance CampaignIn the 1940’s there was tension in the ANC - This was because of the different views that existed

Africanism

The belief that Africans should organise separately

Strongly supported by Anton

LembedeThey believed that:Africa is a black man’s countryAfricans are oneThey wanted national liberation and African Socialism

The Freedom Charter and

Charterism

The ANC supported a type of nationalism based on the Freedom Charter

It rejected race as a means of defining African nationalismIt wanted a DEMOCRATIC government regardless of raceNon-racialism therefore became a fundamental principle

This became known as

CHARTERISM

The Pan Africanist Congress

Not all ANC members accepted this non-racialism

Robert

Sobukwe broke away to form the PAC in 1959They were more in-line with the ideas of the CYL:Only Africans should lead the resistance movementThey did not want to work alongside non-African activists‘Government of Africans, by Africans, for Africans’This meant there should be NO power-sharing at all!

The Banning of the ANC and PAC

In 1960 the ANC and PAC were banned by the government

Leaders went into exile but still led the movement from there

Resistance continued in South Africa at the timeWhile the ANC was in exile the UDF fought for non-racialismSteve Biko and the Black Consciousness movement were more AfricanistA strong sense of African nationalism was encouraged from two different fronts:To think about:

Is it possible for African Nationalism to exist while working with other races?

Homework:

Ensure all pages in this unit have been summarised

Please complete Activity 2 on page 133

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