||During the apartheid era, cases of severe human rights abuses, racism, police brutality, and general mistreatment of the non-white population emerged in South Africa. Excluding the fact that South Africa was never ruled by a dictator, it can be argued that some of these characteristics were totalitarian and that South Africa was, to some extent, a totalitarian state under apartheid. This discussion will analyze the totalitarian characteristics that were evident during apartheid and will be structured in the format of the characteristics of a totalitarian state1. The political, economic and social spheres will be addressed, with particular attention to racial purity, the “reign of terror” and education. A totalitarian state involves many spheres being partially or fully controlled by the state and, often, manipulation of the population for the benefit of the state. In South Africa, this was evident for the non-white population: the state controlled and often manipulated them with various pieces of apartheid legislation. In the political sphere, South Africa could be seen to some extent as a one-party totalitarian state, as the Afrikaans National Party (NP) retained power during apartheid. Opposition parties (such as ANC, PAC, SACP and UDF in 1988) were banned under the “Unlawful Organizations Act No. 34 of 1960”;2 and in 1956, the “Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act3” removed the right of black people to vote (blacks already did not have the right to vote), leaving only whites to vote and thus removing the opposition . Membership in the South African government could be regarded as “elite” (a totalitarian characteristic) as the government was predominantly Afrikaans with few English speakers and no...... half of the document ......show.php ?include=docs/shopsteward/1995/ss0406 -12.html. Accessed 3 April 20119. “Stephen Bantu Biko”. Taken from the SA History website: http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/people/bios/biko-s.htm Accessed 3 April 201110. “Casspir Mk III”. Taken from the Army Guide website: http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product.php?prodID=4310&printmode=1. Accessed 3 April 2011.11. “Cosatu Ban: State hopes to crush resistance to apartheid.” Taken from DISA website: http://www.disa.ukzn.ac.za/index.php?option=com_displaydc&recordID=CoMay88.1727.0588.000.001.May1988.18 Accessed 3 April 2011.12. Excerpted from a textbook, History for Standard 6–10 (Joubert and Britz 1975), commonly used in schools during the apartheid era. Taken from a 2008 publication on apartheid by Alta Engelbrecht - http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/232527/engelbrecht.pdf. Accessed March 30 2011

Topic > ||During the apartheid era, cases of severe human rights abuses, racism, police brutality, and general mistreatment of the non-white population emerged in South Africa. Excluding the fact that South Africa was never ruled by a dictator, it can be argued that some of these characteristics were totalitarian and that South Africa was, to some extent, a totalitarian state under apartheid. This discussion will analyze the totalitarian characteristics that were evident during apartheid and will be structured in the format of the characteristics of a totalitarian state1. The political, economic and social spheres will be addressed, with particular attention to racial purity, the “reign of terror” and education. A totalitarian state involves many spheres being partially or fully controlled by the state and, often, manipulation of the population for the benefit of the state. In South Africa, this was evident for the non-white population: the state controlled and often manipulated them with various pieces of apartheid legislation. In the political sphere, South Africa could be seen to some extent as a one-party totalitarian state, as the Afrikaans National Party (NP) retained power during apartheid. Opposition parties (such as ANC, PAC, SACP and UDF in 1988) were banned under the “Unlawful Organizations Act No. 34 of 1960”;2 and in 1956, the “Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act3” removed the right of black people to vote (blacks already did not have the right to vote), leaving only whites to vote and thus removing the opposition . Membership in the South African government could be regarded as “elite” (a totalitarian characteristic) as the government was predominantly Afrikaans with few English speakers and no...... half of the document ......show.php ?include=docs/shopsteward/1995/ss0406 -12.html. Accessed 3 April 20119. “Stephen Bantu Biko”. Taken from the SA History website: http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/people/bios/biko-s.htm Accessed 3 April 201110. “Casspir Mk III”. Taken from the Army Guide website: http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product.php?prodID=4310&printmode=1. Accessed 3 April 2011.11. “Cosatu Ban: State hopes to crush resistance to apartheid.” Taken from DISA website: http://www.disa.ukzn.ac.za/index.php?option=com_displaydc&recordID=CoMay88.1727.0588.000.001.May1988.18 Accessed 3 April 2011.12. Excerpted from a textbook, History for Standard 6–10 (Joubert and Britz 1975), commonly used in schools during the apartheid era. Taken from a 2008 publication on apartheid by Alta Engelbrecht - http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/232527/engelbrecht.pdf. Accessed March 30 2011