The Rise,Fall,and Legacy of Apartheid

In this accessible narrative, Louw effectively tells the story of 20th-century South Africa by examining three political periods: British Hegemony (1900-1948), the Afrikaner Nationalist Period (1948-1993), and the post-1994 Black Nationalist Period. He argues that apartheid was premised upon the notion of "political partition" and not "white supremacy." Apartheid was a political strategy, constructed by the ethnic minority in order to retain political power. However, the partition plan failed, causing an era of conflict. With apartheid now formally over, Louw presents a comprehensive overview of this important 20th-century phenomenon. Topics covered include: The roots and causes of apartheid; What was apartheid? The struggle against apartheid; Why did Afrikaner Nationalists negotiate their own demise in the 1990s? The impact of apartheid in contemporary South Africa.