Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was a policy that governed relations between South Africa’s white minority and non-white majority, sanctioning racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-whites. Apartheid was characterized by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap, which means "boss-ship" or "domination" in Afrikaans.
Apartheid divided people and labeled them as whites and non-whites on the basis of their skin color. The policies under apartheid were designed to segregate and economically and politically oppress the non-white population of the country. Apartheid laws were introduced in 1948, and racial discrimination was institutionalized. This race-based law affected almost every aspect of a person’s social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites and the sanction of the ‘white-only’ jobs. In 1950, the Population Registration Act was passed, in which all South Africans were racially classified into three categories: white, black (African), or colored (mixed of descent) .
Apartheid was a type of lawful discrimination that was very prevalent in the Republic of South Africa. It was practiced between 1948-1994 by the white minority government over the native population. The system believed in separation of people based on their color, ethnicity, caste, etc. .
In summary, apartheid was a system of racial discrimination and segregation that was unique to South Africa and was imposed by the white Europeans settled in South Africa. It divided people and labeled them as whites and non-whites on the basis of their skin color. The policies under apartheid were designed to segregate and economically and politically oppress the non-white population of the country.
