The Apartheid

During most of the 20th century, South Africa was ruled by a system called Apartheid, which was based on the segregation of races. The term comes from an African word meaning "apartness". This term was introduced during the 1948 elections campaign by DF Malan's Herenigde Nasionale Party (Reunited National Party), but racial segregation had been in force for many decades in South Africa. The United Party actually gained the majority of votes in the elections of 1948. But due to the manipulation of the geographical boundaries of the country's constituencies before the election, the Herenigde Nasionale Party (HNP) managed to won the majority of constitutencies and took power. In 1951 the HNP and Africaner Party officially merged to form the National Party, which became synonymous with Apartheid. Over the decades, various forms of legislation were introduced which extended the existing segregation against Blacks and Indians. During the 1960s, racial discrimination applied to most aspects of life in South Africa and was created for blacks. The system had evolved into "Grand Apartheid". The country was rocked by the Sharpeville Massacre, the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) was banned, and the country withdrew from the British Commonwealth and declared a Republic.