1948: Apartheid Begins with National Party Victory in South Africa

On May 31, 1948, the National Party officially took control of the South African government, marking the beginning of apartheid—a brutal system of racial segregation and oppression. The party\’s platform promised to enforce strict racial hierarchies through laws separating education, housing, work, and public services. For the next 46 years, apartheid policies devastated Black communities, enforcing economic disenfranchisement, forced removals, and state violence. The victory on May 31 set in motion global resistance movements, from ANC underground efforts to international sanctions and solidarity campaigns. This date stands as a stark reminder of how political shifts can codify racism into national policy and how enduring the struggle for justice can be. It marks the beginning of one of the most infamous racial regimes in modern history, whose dismantling would take decades of internal resistance and global advocacy. May 31 is thus pivotal in understanding modern liberation movements across the African diaspora.