Evaluate the effectiveness of protest against the segregation policies of Smuts and Hertzog (1910–1948).

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the effectiveness of protest against the segregationist policies of Smuts and Hertzog in South Africa. Candidates may refer to the creation of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) in 1912, but argue that it was initially an elitist group petitioning the government for gradual reforms. Delegations were sent to London to protest the introduction of segregation policies, but to very limited effect. Candidates may point to the emergence of a more radical but short-lived opposition in the 1920s in the form of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU). They may also note that the African National Congress (ANC) did not initially forge links with the white labour movement. Blacks were not involved in the Rand Rebellion, the most significant revolutionary challenge to the government during the segregation period. However, candidates may point out that the ANC was radicalized and revitalized following the Second World War. The Miners’ Strike of 1946 marked the beginning of a more radical, mass-based opposition to white minority rule. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

Question 29 on the opposition to the segregation policies of Smuts and Herzog, was a popular question but suffered from a lack of knowledge and clear focus on the demands of the question. This period has probably received less attention than the apartheid period and candidates do not seem to have been as prepared as they could have been.