Afrikaner culture and politics

• Afrikaner culture

  Afrikaner culture were descended from white settlers called Boers who came largely from Holland and Germany in the late 18th and early 19th century; their language, Afrikaans, is derived from German and Dutch.

  As time went on, Afrikaner people developed their own culture, separate from British or European.
• Afrikaner characteristics

  As people Afrikaners were characterised by:

  • Hard work, mainly farming land that was often naturally infertile
  • A stern puritanical Christianity: belief in the literal truth of the bible
  • Extreme racism: believing that non-white people were inferior
  • A 'laager mentality', exemplified by their determination to proceed with apartheid and white supremacy
• History

  The relationship between them and the British was always uneasy. When the British abolished slavery in 1833, many of the Boer settlers who kept slaves then moved into the vast hinterland away from the British rule. This was called the 'Great Trek' snd became a sacred event for future generations of Afrikaner people.
• White justification for segregation

  Most white people had racist views of African people as being lazy, untrustworthy and, potentially, dangerous. These views were largely based on two factors:

  • Ignorance and fears for their own safety if African people were given political or economic rights
  • A belief that segregation from white people was in the Africans' best interests
• Afrikaner politics before WW2

  All the political parties vying for power were comprised almost exclusively of white people. Afrikaner people often felt excluded from power: the most successful parties were dominated by English speakers and legislated, they believed, in the interests of these citizens - although they did pass segregational legislation.
• The influence of Britain

  South Africa had been a dominion within the British Empire since 1910. English-speaking parties dominated the South African government during the interwar years although they were just as racist and segregational as the NP.

  However, Afrikaner people resented British influence.