What Were the Main Laws of Apartheid?
According to the State University of New York College at Cortland, the main laws of South African apartheid included the Population Registration Act, Immorality Act, Group Areas Act, Criminal Law Amendment Act, Pass Laws Act and Separate Amenities Act. The national parliament began repealing these laws in the 1980s.
Segregation occurred in everyday life during apartheid. According to Stanford University, apartheid laws made interracial marriage or interracial coupling of any kind illegal between whites and non-whites. The Population Registration Act in 1950 created legal classification of races due to “appearance, social acceptance and descent.” This legal classification served as the basis for other apartheid laws. Whites and non-whites used separate bathrooms, water fountains, and other public and private services.
According to the State University of New York College at Cortland, whites made up to five times as much as non-whites, which added to disparities between races. The Criminal Law Amendment led to a 156-day state of emergency in which violence against non-whites occurred, according to Stanford University.
Attribution for the degradation of apartheid went to international political pressure and civil unrest, according to the United Nations. Many international corporations withdrew from South Africa in the 1980s, which created economic effects in the area.
