Grand Apartheid in South Africa

Grand Apartheid in South Africa Apartheid is often loosely divided into two parts: petty and grand apartheid. Petty Apartheid was the most visible side of Apartheid. It was the segregation of facilities based on race. Grand Apartheid refers to the underlying limitations placed on black South Africans’ access to land and political rights.  These were the laws that prevented black South Africans from even living in the same areas as white people. They also denied black Africans political representation, and, at its most extreme, citizenship in South Africa. Grand Apartheid hit its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, but most of the important land and political rights laws were passed soon after the institution of Apartheid in 1949. These laws also built on legislation that limited black South Africans’ mobility and access to land dating back as far as 1787. Denied Land and Citizenship In 1910, four previously separate colonies united to form the Union of South Africa and legislation to govern the â€Å"native† population soon followed. In 1913, the government passed the Land Act of 1913. This law made it illegal for black South Africans to own or even rent land outside of native reserves, which amounted to just 7-8% of South African land. (In 1936, that percentage was technically increased to 13.5%, but not all of that land was ever actually turned into reserves.)  Ã‚   After 1949, the government began moving to make these reserves the homelands of black South Africans. In 1951 the Bantu Authorities Act gave increased authority to tribal leaders in these reserves. There were 10 homesteads in South African and another 10 in what is today Namibia (then governed by South Africa). In 1959, the Bantu Self-Government Act made it possible for these homesteads to be self-governing but under the power of South Africa. In 1970, the Black Homelands Citizenship Act declared that black South Africans were citizens of their respective reserves and not citizens of South Africa, even those who had never lived in their homesteads. At the same time, the government moved to strip the few political rights black and colored individuals had in South Africa. By 1969, the only people permitted to vote in South Africa were those who were white. Urban Separations As white employers and homeowners wanted cheap black labor, they never tried to make all black South Africans live in the reserves. Instead, they enacted the 1951 Group Areas Act which divided urban areas by race and required the forced relocation of those people – usually black – who found themselves living in an area now designated for people of another race. Inevitably, the land allocated to those classified as black was furthest away from city centers, which meant long commutes to work in addition to poor living conditions. Blamed juvenile crime on the long absences of parents who had to travel so far to work. Limiting Mobility Several other laws limited the mobility of black South Africans. The first of these were the pass laws, which regulated the movement of black people in and out of European colonial settlements. Dutch colonists passed the first pass laws at the Cape in 1787, and more followed in the 19th century. These laws were intended to keep black Africans out of cities and other spaces, with the exception of laborers. In 1923, the government of South Africa passed the Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923, which set up systems- including mandatory passes- to control the flow of black men between urban and rural areas. In 1952, these laws were replaced with the Natives Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents Act. Now all black South Africans, instead of just men, were required to carry passbooks at all times. Section 10 of this law also stated that black people who did not â€Å"belong† to a city – which was based on birth and employment – could stay there for no more than 72 hours.  The African National Congress protested these laws, and Nelson Mandela famously burned his passbook in protest at the Sharpeville Massacre.

Things you probably didn`t know about British student life

Things you probably didn`t know about British student life Interesting facts from the history of British student life British student life was quite interesting and exciting even during the Middle Ages. It was full of various traditions, riots, revelries, and characters†¦ Women were not always welcome in academia The male students of Cambridge University didn`t want female students to be granted with the full degrees. In 1897, they hung an effigy of a female cyclist from Cambridge Senate House to show their disapproval. Only in 1948 women could finally get the full degrees. In the late 19th century the first female colleges were established. Women had the opportunity to receive education. However, their student life was not easy. Female students were narrowly watched and tightly scheduled. The violent student protests There was an increasing tension between the local people and Oxford`s students. The St Scholastica Day riot of 1355 became the bloodiest conflict in British student history. There was a violent pub brawl between two scholars and the taverner. After that, the armed struggle began. The medical students had the conflict over vivisection which lasted almost seven years. They scuffled with police, let off stink bombs during court cases, and attacked effigies of a local magistrate. In 1907 a lot of students marched on London in order to defend their rights. In 2010 the student protests spilled over into violence on the streets of London. Students breached the peace, smashing windows, throwing eggs, and setting off the smoke bombs. As a result, 153 students were arrested. The admittance of the young students Nowadays, a lot of the senior students can laugh at the freshmen, who can behave like little children. However, during the Tudor and Stuart periods it was quite normal to admit the students in the age of 12 to the university. The process of gaining a university degree was very long. Those young students could impress their tutors with the astonishing knowledge of different languages and subjects. The boundless merrymaking Students have enjoyed a bit of revelry since the earliest times. St Andrews University is known for its party atmosphere. The tradition of the ‘Raising Weekend’ was something special. Students had several days of parties and challenges which usually ended with a foam fight. That is how the academic family welcomed its freshmen. In the 16th century, the students of Cambridge University usually entertained their peers with the satirical comedies. Everybody was drinking and singing until the morning. They even made fun of the local people. Sometimes, such celebrations could be uncontrollable, so the university authorities were forced to ban such revelry for three years. A warm welcome of foreign students Foreign students could study at the British universities since the 12th century. Many of them faced suspicion, hostility, discrimination, and prejudice. However, a large number pained a positive picture of their student life in Britain as a foreigner. Edward Atiyah, who was born in the Ottoman Empire, was treated with friendliness and kindness while studying at Oxford. He didn`t feel that he was a stranger among the English people. He had positive experience of studying in another country. Samuel Satthianadhan was the Indian student, who studied at Cambridge in the 1870s. He felt himself quite comfortable studying with British students. He had not any feeling of awkwardness. Moreover, the British universities welcomed a lot of the refugee students during the two world wars. Student life was remarkably regulated The student life was not always the time of freedom. In the Middle Ages, students` behavior and morals were significantly controlled. Students were supposed to be sober in character and honest in life. They hadn`t enough time for the extra-curricular activities they were interested in. Students practices archery or took walks speaking in Latin. In 1410 the authorities of Oxford University issued a decree which enforced the students to live in the university halls to prevent them from visiting brothels and taverns at night. Universities weren`t just for the rich It is a popular belief that only children from the wealthy families could study at the first British universities. The medieval Oxford, St Andrews, and Cambridge admitted students from the middle-ranking families. By the 17th century the sizarships were established. Sizars had to work as university servants in order to pay the reduced fees. It was rather degrading for them, but such early bursary system gave many bright minds the opportunity to get the higher education.