- The Union of South Africa came into existence on 31st May 1910
- It was a unification of four distinct British colonies: Natal Colony, Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, and Transvaal Colony
- The Union of South Africa is the present-day Republic of South Africa
- Unlike the federations of Australia and Canada, the Union of South Africa existed as a unitary state
- The Union was established to reconcile the Boers and the English settlers
- The Native Land Act was enacted in 1913, it took away the right of Africans to own land on 87 percent of the Union of South Africa’s land area
- The Union helped Britain to fight German colonies in Africa during the First World War
- In 1931, the statute of Westminster gave the dominion powers the control over their defense and foreign affairs
- In 1961, the Boer-backed regime withdrew from the British Empire and established a segregated apartheid regime
There are various things that one can learn from the colonization of the Union of South Africa. The Union was a unification of the separate colonies namely: Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River colonies. The distinct parliaments of these colonies were abolished and substituted with provisional councils. The Union was created to reconcile the British and the Boer settlers after the Boer War. During the 19th century, a unification of the African polities, the Boers, and the British was unimaginable. Consequently, the British managed to reduce the power of African political entities and to subdue the Boer resistance. The white politicians then formed the Union of South Africa and did not consult the Africans.
Before the creation of the union, the British parliament promoted the rights of African. This was precisely because Britain used to respect treaties and rights of people to own property. However, the creation of the Union meant that power would be handed to over to settlers. Most settlers considered Africans as rivals or units of labor. Africans also lived in lands that the settlers were eager to possess. As such, the settlers did not respect the rights of Africans to own land, to vote, or freedom to work.
The curtailment of the rights of Africans to own property is shown by the Native Land Act of 1913. Through the Act, Africans were denied the right to own land within 87 percent of the Union land. The remaining 13 percent of the Union land was marginal and had little or no access to water or transport facilities. Such circumstances prompted Africans to plunge into the labor market. As such, Africans were forced to work as migrant workers. The subsequent employment regulations and pass laws ensured that the unskilled laborers earned little money. Coincidentally, Africans were the most affected since they had no access to decent education. Notably, the parliament, which was dominated by white settlers, defined every white person as skilled. It is worth mentioning that the British and the Boers sought to resolve their hatred by working together to frustrate Africans.
The Union of South Africa helped Britain to concur German colonies during the First World War. Accordingly, the 1931 Statute of Westminster, allowed the dominion powers to exercise full powers over the natives. The dominion powers also assumed full responsibility regarding foreign affairs and their defense. This meant that South Africa was now an independent country. However, there was a proviso that the King would remain the head of government. As such, the King or the King’s representative would continue to sign every law into being.
During the Second World War, some Boers who felt that the British had been lenient towards Africans supported the Nazi views concerning race. However, the Government agreed to support Britain. In 1948, the Nationalist Party, which was backed by Boers, won the elections. In 1961, the predominantly Boer regime withdrew from the British Empire. The Boer regime formed a segregation apartheid administration (Thompson 187). Accordingly, Africans became victims of the hateful regime.
Work Cited
Thompson, Leonard. A History of South Africa 3rd Ed. Yale University Press, 2001.
“Union of South Africa”. The British Empire, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
