Topic > Opposition to apartheid in the years 1948-1959 was unsuccessful

There was much opposition to apartheid until 1959, when it was first implemented in 1948 by the National Party. The National Party introduced apartheid into legislation as a system of racial segregation to create white supremacy in South Africa. To judge the extent of the opposition's success we must first establish what opposition there was and how successful each individual measure was in eradicating apartheid. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In the 1940s the resistance movement was quite moderate as few laws were passed to codify apartheid and therefore little resistance, but in the 1950s it became more confrontational but still non-violent. The ANC is believed to be the most influential and successful opposition to the National Party and its ideology with its use of boycotts and peaceful protests, but other forms of resistance to apartheid included PAC, SACTU and the Congress Alliance. The ANC was out of touch with the needs and desires of Africans in the 1940s and the growing divide became more cautious, which led to a new era of activists who formed the ANC Youth League, based on self-determination and African nationalism by Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo. In 1949 the Youth League developed a Program of Action; the call for strikes, boycotts and rebellions adopted by the ANC. The Defiance campaign was the beginning of the mass movement of resistance to apartheid that forced Africans to break permit laws, under which other races entered townships without "permission". These organizations with SACTU formed the Congress Alliance. After several months of civil disobedience and 8,000 arrests, riots broke out in several cities, resulting in extensive property damage and 40 deaths. Black protest and white repression continued. In 1956 three black women were killed when thousands of them confronted the police over their inclusion in the amended pass laws, which previously applied only to black men and now apply to them. In 1958 Robert Sobukwe left the ANC and founded the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) in April 1959. The PAC insisted on a militant strategy based on black support in contrast to the ANC's multiracial approach as many members felt that the ANC was disloyal. Black attitudes towards the liberation process changed dramatically, however before 1960 the PAC had not done much to implement or force change from the National Party regarding Apartheid, which shows that they were not very successful in these early years of Apartheid. The trial can be seen as a catalyst for opposition to apartheid. The government's aim was to completely break the power of the Congress Alliance, as previous law enforcement and exiles had not worked to the extent the National Party had wanted. The treason trial was instituted and unusual measures were taken to secure the verdict, including parliament passing specific legislation for the trial; this legislation authorized the creation of a special Court, with three judges instead of one, and the courts were given the task of selecting judges by the Minister of Justice. However, the aftermath of the arrests actually gave the resistance leaders an opportunity; they were confined to two adjacent cells where they could meet “openly and uninhibited.” According to Chief Luthuli "What distance, other occupations, lack of funds and police interference had made difficult - the frequent meetings - on which now”..