Apartheid | Vpedia - Empowering knowledge sharing

Apartheid, meaning 'apartness' in Afrikaans, was a brutal system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It classified inhabitants into racial groups – White, Black, Coloured, and Indian – with the White minority holding absolute political and economic power. This regime systematically denied non-White South Africans basic human rights, including freedom of movement, political participation, and access to education and resources, leading to widespread oppression and international condemnation. The struggle against apartheid involved decades of resistance, international sanctions, and ultimately, negotiation, culminating in the release of Nelson Mandela and the country's first multiracial democratic elections in 1994.