By the end of the 1950s, the harsh Verwoerdian style apartheid began to break down. The increase in oppressive policies and the exceedingly excessive use of violence had the opposite of its intended effect. The native South African felt that he had no other choice but to respond to the government's actions with violence. Policies meant to oppress the native merely further radicalized his position. The philosophy of “black consciousness” made the native proud of whom he was and encouraged him not to accept the subservient position given to him in South African society. The increase in demand for skilled labor in the factories allowed natives to organize labor unions and dissatisfaction in Bantu education caused students to become politically active. All of these things put together created an unmanageable social environment that led to the collapse of apartheid as well as creating social and economic problems that would carry over into post-apartheid South Africa.
IN 1952, the ANC launched the Defiance Campaign in response to the government's oppressive policies. They used non-violent protest techniques and peacefully broke laws they saw as unjust to air their grievances. The Government reacted by banning leaders of the opposition and arresting thousands of demonstrators, accusing them of Communist activities which was made illegal under the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950. The Defiance Campaign had little to no effect and many members of the ANC had become fed up with the slow pace at which they were moving. “Critics within the ANC argued that its alliance with other political groups, particularly the white Congress of Democrats, had caused their organization to make too many compromises and fail to represent African interests.” Such critics, who called on the ANC to take more action, were forced out of the organization and formed the Pan-Africanist Congress.
The PAC organized demonstrations as part of their campaign against the pass laws marching to the police station without their passes in protest. At one demonstration in Sharpeville, the police responded to the peaceful march by firing on the crowd, killing at least 69 and wounding 186. This event not only caused international criticism of apartheid policy, it also inspired more natives to take action. The increased opposition caused the government to outlaw both the ANC and PAC, forcing them to go underground. Both organizations set up armed divisions to fight for their freedom. After many years of non-violent practices, the natives were forced to use violence. “They argued that the state itself was illegitimate and that because it used violence to repress political opposition, they needed to begin an armed struggle.” It had become clear that non-violent protest was not going to work, more drastic measures needed to be taken if they wanted to make any real progress.
If the ANC and PAC had not resorted to violence, the natives of South African certainly would have. Nelson Mandela explained that his “followers were beginning to lose confidence in this [non-violent] policy and were developing disturbing ideas of terrorism.” He says that violence had been a reoccurring theme in South Africa well before the natives organized to take up arms. Peaceful political action was met with violence by the government. He says these practices “pointed clearly to the inevitable growth among Africans of the belief that violence was the only way out- it showed that a Government which uses force to maintain its rule teaches the oppressed to use force to oppose it.” While the goal of the government was to keep the native in a subservient position and easy to manage, the violent practices they used only forced the opposition to respond with violence.
The real effects of government policies were completely contradictory to their intended purpose. Employers were struggling with the contradiction of oppressing a labor force that was in very high demand. “The very workers who were threatening apartheid's control over the economy were in high demand in the factories. Employers could not afford high turnovers or dissatisfaction within its labor force.” At the same time, native students were taught that their place in South African society was to serve the whites. While this was meant to keep them content with their place in society, it only showed that the government was not on their side and that they had nothing to lose by using violence against their oppressors. The government was struggling with how to implement their policy of white supremacy while maintaining control of the native majority they relied so heavily upon.
The Bantu Education Bill was one attempt the government made to control the native. The goal was to bring the education system of the natives in line with the policies of apartheid. A.C. Jordan explained that Verwoerd thought that previously, “the African had been receiving a kind of education that failed to produce the kind of "Native" acceptable to "the policy of the State". It "made him feel different, made him feel he is not a member of a Bantu community but a member of a wider community".” Bantu education was meant to prepare the native for his subservient role in society. This new form of education only made it all the more clear to the native what the intentions of the government were. By the time the first generation went through this system, the natives had realized that “apartheid held no benefits for them and they were being "brainwashed" into thinking that they were inferior, lesser human beings.” The dissatisfaction came to a head in 1974 in Soweto when student demonstrations were held to protest the requirement that classes had to be taught in Afrikaans, which was seen as the language of the oppressor by most natives and not nearly as widely spoken as English. The police responded to the protest with teargas and gunfire directed at the crowds. This event outraged native South Africans all over the country. The government failed once again in using their policies to create a docile, subservient native.
