CIVIL RESISTANCE
IN SOUTH AFRICA
1970s AND 1980s
What was the nature of civil society resistance
after the 1960s?
1
, In the 1950s and 1960s apartheid was entrenched in South Africa and those who resisted
were ruthlessly suppressed. The Sharpeville Massarce (1960), the Rivonia Trial (1964), the
imprisonment of anti-apartheid leaders and the banning of organisations such as the ANC
and the PAC meant that there seemed to be little hope for change. The opposition to
apartheid was driven underground and into exile.
However, in the 1970s and 1980s, new forms of civil resistance to apartheid emerged. The
Soweto uprising in 1976 was the most noticeable example of this resistance. This civil
resistance was partly influenced by the rise of Black Consciousness; ideas promoted by a
group of black students led by Steve Biko. The ideas of Black Consciousness were
influenced by the Black Power Movement in the USA and encouraged a new sense of black
pride and assertiveness.
In the 1980s the government made some reforms to the apartheid system which was
clearly not working. Civil resistance continued to grow, especially in the workplace where it
was led by trade unions. Civil resistance also increased in communities where it was led by
civic organisations and anti-apartheid movements such as the United Democratic Front
(UDF), formed in 1983. By the mid-1980s, the apartheid government was clearly losing
control and it declared a state of emergency.
Pressure on the apartheid government increased from outside South Africa. News of the
protests inside the country led to greater international support for organisations such as the
ANC. The international anti-apartheid movement organised campaigns against trade with
and investment in South Africa, boycotts against sporting and cultural relations, and a
demand for the release of Nelson Mandela. By the late 1980s this pressure was having an
effect on Western governments which had previously supported South Africa in the Cold
War era, such as the USA and Britain. The end of colonial rule in neighbouring states also
added pressure.
THE CHALLENGE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS TO APARTHEID
At the time of the active civil society protests in the USA and other parts of the world in the
1960s, there was comparatively little open protest in South Africa. However, the 1970s saw
a change with the rise of Black Consciousness and the growth of worker and student
movements. This resulted in the Soweto Uprising in 1976, an event which marked the
beginning of the end of apartheid.
The nature of the apartheid state in the 1970s and 1980s
As a result of state oppression/repression, there was little protest in South Africa during the
1960s. After the Sharpeville shootings in 1960, the government had banned the ANC and
the PAC. The government also increased state control over the media, gave the police the
2
IN SOUTH AFRICA
1970s AND 1980s
What was the nature of civil society resistance
after the 1960s?
1
, In the 1950s and 1960s apartheid was entrenched in South Africa and those who resisted
were ruthlessly suppressed. The Sharpeville Massarce (1960), the Rivonia Trial (1964), the
imprisonment of anti-apartheid leaders and the banning of organisations such as the ANC
and the PAC meant that there seemed to be little hope for change. The opposition to
apartheid was driven underground and into exile.
However, in the 1970s and 1980s, new forms of civil resistance to apartheid emerged. The
Soweto uprising in 1976 was the most noticeable example of this resistance. This civil
resistance was partly influenced by the rise of Black Consciousness; ideas promoted by a
group of black students led by Steve Biko. The ideas of Black Consciousness were
influenced by the Black Power Movement in the USA and encouraged a new sense of black
pride and assertiveness.
In the 1980s the government made some reforms to the apartheid system which was
clearly not working. Civil resistance continued to grow, especially in the workplace where it
was led by trade unions. Civil resistance also increased in communities where it was led by
civic organisations and anti-apartheid movements such as the United Democratic Front
(UDF), formed in 1983. By the mid-1980s, the apartheid government was clearly losing
control and it declared a state of emergency.
Pressure on the apartheid government increased from outside South Africa. News of the
protests inside the country led to greater international support for organisations such as the
ANC. The international anti-apartheid movement organised campaigns against trade with
and investment in South Africa, boycotts against sporting and cultural relations, and a
demand for the release of Nelson Mandela. By the late 1980s this pressure was having an
effect on Western governments which had previously supported South Africa in the Cold
War era, such as the USA and Britain. The end of colonial rule in neighbouring states also
added pressure.
THE CHALLENGE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS TO APARTHEID
At the time of the active civil society protests in the USA and other parts of the world in the
1960s, there was comparatively little open protest in South Africa. However, the 1970s saw
a change with the rise of Black Consciousness and the growth of worker and student
movements. This resulted in the Soweto Uprising in 1976, an event which marked the
beginning of the end of apartheid.
The nature of the apartheid state in the 1970s and 1980s
As a result of state oppression/repression, there was little protest in South Africa during the
1960s. After the Sharpeville shootings in 1960, the government had banned the ANC and
the PAC. The government also increased state control over the media, gave the police the
2
