South Africa 1960–1994: The People and the State (J410/05) - Growing resistance and repression c.1970s — OCR GCSE History
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South Africa 1960–1994: The People and the State (J410/05) - Growing resistance and repression c.1970s explained
This topic traces how resistance to apartheid widened in the 1970s.
Read the full explanation
The Black Consciousness Movement, led by Steve Biko, urged Black South Africans to reclaim psychological and political confidence, and SASO organised Black students on university campuses. Women's groups, such as the Black Women's Federation, mobilised around community and welfare issues. Trade unions grew into a powerful force, shown by the Durban workers' strike of 1973, when thousands of African workers struck over pay and conditions. Young people became central, above all in the Soweto students' uprising of 1976 against the use of Afrikaans in schools. Meanwhile the ANC operated in exile, and the international Anti-Apartheid Movement campaigned abroad for boycotts and sanctions. Together these pressures affected the apartheid regime, which responded with repression such as detentions and bans.
Your focus
- Identify the main forms of resistance to apartheid in the 1970s.
- Explain the impact of resistance on the apartheid regime.
- Describe how the regime responded to growing resistance.
South Africa 1960–1994: The People and the State (J410/05) - Growing resistance and repression c.1970s exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies the Black Consciousness Movement and SASO as forms of Black-led resistance in the 1970s.
- Explains that the Durban workers' strike of 1973 showed the growing strength of trade unions.
- Describes the Soweto students' uprising of 1976 as resistance by young people against Afrikaans in schools.
- Links the ANC in exile and the international Anti-Apartheid Movement to external pressure on the regime.
- Explains how resistance affected the apartheid regime and how the regime responded with repression.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Read the question stem carefully to spot which form of resistance or which response is being asked about.
- 💡Eliminate options that give the wrong date or the wrong organisation before choosing.
- 💡Check that the chosen option links resistance to its impact or to the regime's response, not just a name.
Common Mistakes
- Confuses the Black Consciousness Movement with the ANC; keep them as distinct organisations with different methods.
- Places the Soweto uprising in the wrong year; state 1976 accurately.
- Treats the Durban workers' strike as a student protest; describe it as a strike by African workers over pay and conditions.