How did apartheid affect people's lives and how did they respond?

Apartheid is the systematic segregation of a particular group of people by a country’s government. The term traces its origins to South Africa. In 1948, the ruling National Party (NP) instituted a system of racial segregation. They established a system of white minority rule over the black majority natives and other racial groups. The ruling party undermined the social and civil rights of the races they considered inferior.

Members of the black community had their citizenship revoked. They were evicted from their homes and forced into segregated residential areas. The segregation affected access to social amenities and institutions. Schools and hospitals, among other public services, were segregated. Black people were provided with substandard services with no political representation to voice their opposition.  

The situation led to growing dissent among the majority black population. Anti-apartheid groups were organized by the black community to protest against the situation imposed on the community. The government responded by arresting the leaders and participants. Violence erupted across the country between the government and the black community. Internal pressure by the anti-apartheid groups and international embargoes forced the government to reconsider its position and agree to end the segregation.