ABSTRACT
Apartheid was the system of racial segregation and discrimination that operated in South Africa in the late twentieth century. It was implemented more systematically than previous forms of segregation in South Africa. By implementing apartheid, South Africa positioned itself in an ambivalent position geopolitically. Apartheid was opposed by people of all racial backgrounds in South Africa, including a minority of liberal and radical whites. Black Consciousness grew in influence throughout the early 1970s. The formation of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) in Britain at the end of March 1960 was galvanised in reaction to the Sharpeville Massacre. It sought to bring international pressure to bear on the South African government, and to support and defend those South Africans (and Namibians) who opposed apartheid. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
