South Africa (Apartheid)

The peak of European control was characterized by the institutionalization of deep racial discrimination necessary to control the African labor required for the mines and farms. This system was solidified after the South African War (Boer War) (1899–1902), which resulted in the unification of British and Afrikaner territories into the Union of South Africa in 1910 under white minority rule. This structure reached its zenith in South Africa with the formal implementation of Apartheid (separateness) in 1948 by the National Party, a policy that legally classified individuals by race, enforced total segregation, and stripped the Black majority of political and land rights. Control was maintained through brutal legal enforcement and military power, creating a rigid system where a small European-descended population dominated the vast majority.

The end of European control in Southern Africa occurred in two distinct phases: general decolonization and the specific collapse of Apartheid. Most of the region's colonial territories achieved independence in the 1960s and 1970s following nationalist movements, such as Zambia gaining independence in 1964. However, white minority rule persisted in South Africa and Rhodesia (which became Zimbabwe in 1980). The final conclusion of this control was precipitated by decades of fierce internal resistance led by groups like the African National Congress (ANC), coupled with mounting international economic sanctions. The process culminated with the South African government beginning negotiations with the ANC, symbolized by the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990, the dismantling of apartheid laws, and the nation's first fully inclusive democratic elections in 1994, which formally ended over 300 years of white political dominance.

Sample Answer

European control in Southern Africa began with the establishment of a refreshment station by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. This initial settlement, the Cape Colony, slowly expanded through skirmishes and land expropriation, laying the foundation for a permanent European presence and the gradual entrenchment of racial hierarchies. Control intensified drastically in the late 19th century due to the discovery of vast reserves of diamonds and gold in the interior, attracting major British capital and a flood of settlers. This economic boom fueled the Scramble for Africa, which saw the region formally partitioned into European colonies following the 1884 Berlin Conference, subjecting territories like Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Bechuanaland (Botswana) to direct colonial rule aimed at exploiting natural resources and securing labor.European control in Southern Africa began with the establishment of a refreshment station by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. This initial settlement, the Cape Colony, slowly expanded through skirmishes and land expropriation, laying the foundation for a permanent European presence and the gradual entrenchment of racial hierarchies. Control intensified drastically in the late 19th century due to the discovery of vast reserves of diamonds and gold in the interior, attracting major British capital and a flood of settlers. This economic boom fueled the Scramble for Africa, which saw the region formally partitioned into European colonies following the 1884 Berlin Conference, subjecting territories like Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Bechuanaland (Botswana) to direct colonial rule aimed at exploiting natural resources and securing labor.