Afrikaner Nationalism

Reason for the rise of the Afrikaner Nationalism

➤Afrikaners were self-sufficient and departed from Cape Colony, which was seized by the British. The creation of Transvaal and Orange Free State as separate states by the Dutch led to the development of Afrikaner
nationalism after their defeat in the South African war. The Afrikaners faced hardships in the South African war due to the loss of Transvaal and Orange Free State independence to the British. The British army established
concentration camps where 27,000 Afrikaner women and children lost their lives. The Afrikaans language was oppressed due to schools teaching primarily in English. Afrikaners were obliged to wear a sign around their neck
with kitchen Dutch written on it. Numerous Afrikaners lost their agricultural land and relocated to urban areas for employment in low-skilled positions. In the 1990s, most South Africans were Afrikaners. The National Party,
formed in 1914 to advocate for Afrikaner rights, had a strong nationalist agenda. Their victory in the 1924 elections led to the official recognition of Afrikaans and the introduction of a national flag. The civilized labor policy
aimed to prioritize higher-paying jobs for white individuals. Afrikaner and poor whites were able to benefit from the reserved jobs which included civil service positions such as those in the railways and Postal Services.
Broederbond was established in 1918 by young Afrikaner professionals. Broederbond aimed to improve the economic status of Afrikaners and ensure that they believed in their racial and cultural superiority. Afrikaner leaders
like Dr He Verwoed and John Vorster were sympathetic to the Nazis.

Factors that led to the rise of Afrikaner Nationalism

Media: The media aimed to safeguard the publication of the History of Afrikaner. Die Burger and Huisgenoot were established to promote solidarity among Afrikaners, while Nasionale Pers was established with the purpose
of emphasizing propaganda. Die Burger was a newspaper for the Afrikaner community.

Politics: The National party was established in 1914 in order to safeguard the interests of the Afrikaner community. The National party also stands for the interests of Afrikaners.

Business and investment:in 1918, rich Afrikaner individuals established insurance and savings companies known as Sanlam and Santam. Sanlam and Santam aimed to help Afrikaners launch their own businesses. Vakskas
bank was established with the purpose of offering financial aid to Afrikaners.

Church: The Dutch Reformed Church had a significant impact on Afrikaner society. The Afrikaners formed the Dutch Reformed Church. The church offered biblical backing to the Afrikaner who held beliefs of racial superiority
over blacks. The church merged the school. The Dutch Reformed Church provided Christian teachings to Afrikaner children.

Broederbond: Broederbond was established in 1918 with the goal of bringing together and assisting Afrikaners. Broederbond was a clandestine group with a secretive handshake, led by powerful Afrikaner men.
Broederbond's goal was to advance the presence of Afrikaners in important government positions. The Broederbond had a membership of 500 individuals by 1930. Broederbond, established in Johannesburg in the Transvaal,
had a significant impact on the political scene in South Africa.

Afrikaans language movement. Social and Cultural.

➤ In 1934, Dr and additional Afrikaner political leaders became members of the Broederbond. They started to establish important roles in political, cultural, educational, religious, and economic organizations. In 1929,
Broederbond founded the Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Organizations (FAK), also known as Federaise Van Afrikannse Kaltervereregings. FAK was the organization that oversaw and provided guidance to various Afrikaner
cultural groups, including youth, church, and educational groups. In 1930, FAK had 300 affiliations. FAK helped Broederbond establish an ideology and exert influence. In 1938, FAK organized the centenary celebration of the
Great Trek from Cape Town to Pretoria, using wagons used by the Voortrekkers, in order to impact political and economic activities within the Afrikaner community. The FAK members wore clothing similar to Voortrekkers
and renamed numerous streets in honor of Voortrekkers leaders. The trip from Cape Town to Pretoria. FAK members placed the cornerstone at a Voortrekkers Monument on 16 December. The Battle of Ncane (Blood River)
marked the 100th anniversary of Dingaan's army being defeated by the Boers. The commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Great Trek resulted in the emergence of the Ossewa Brandway (ox wagon sentinel). The
Ossewa Brandway had transformed into partly military formations and later into a million. The Afrikaner nationalists endorsed the beliefs of the Nazi Party. This resulted in the formation of Pro-Nazi paramilitary groups like
Greyshirts and Blackshirts.

The Volk

➤Afrikaners believed they were selected by God to spread Christianity in Africa. Volk was the foundation of Afrikaner Nationalism. The concept of Afrikaner as a cultural symbol was revered and promoted by leaders in both
politics and religion to uphold the Afrikaner identity. HJ Klopper, a prominent Africaner conservative, aimed to bring together and safeguard the Afrikaner community. The Afrikaner nation deserves equal importance in terms
of value, language, culture, and religion. The main purpose of Broederbond was to protect Afrikaners from being taken advantage of and to ensure their rights were upheld. Afrikaner Broederband advocated for mine workers
as a labor union, collecting savings from Afrikaners to establish the Afrikaner building Society known as Saambou. The nationalists had encouraged the establishment of businesses owned by Afrikaners. A collection of
Afrikaner experts, Naspers nationale press, operates an Afrikaner publication named Die Burger. Rich white farmers were the ones who established Die Burger. Western Cape farmers' investment resulted in the establishment
of the South African National Trust Company (SANTAM), which offers long term insurance. The establishment of SANTAM and SANLAM by the Broederbond was one of their biggest achievements, as it allowed Afrikaner
farmers and workers to save and invest. In 1934, Broedertond established Volkas bank in Transvaal and Orange Free State. A state entity that later transformed into a private commercial bank, Broederbond, later established
two cooperative stores named SONOP and Uniewikel. Cities in South Africa: Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Broederbond and SANCAM/SANTAM had both arranged Volkskongress (People's Congress) with the goal of advancing
and expanding Afrikaner business. The People's Assembly has chosen to establish Reddingsdaadbond (Rescue Action Society). The main goal of the Rescue Action Society was to promote economic consciousness among
Afrikaners. The Rescue Action Society encouraged Afrikaners to back Afrikaner-owned insurance companies, banks, shops, manufacturing, and other businesses as part of nationalist policies that supported Apartheid.

Nationalism in Power Towards Apartheid

➤The National Party played a key role in advancing Afrikaner Nationalism as a powerful political presence. The Ossewa Brandway became part of the NP after being absorbed. The National Party had made an agreement with the
Afrikaner party. Nationalists called for apartheid. Apartheid had its foundations on the following factors:

Concept of Separation

Race segregation

Africans do not possess any political rights within white communities.

Africans chose to assert their rights in designated areas.

Business professionals should conduct their activities within their respective areas.

Africans employed in white-controlled areas are expected to be only temporary.

The objective of apartheid was to uphold the dominance of the white population.

Apartheid was supported by the Dutch Reformed Church.

Afrikaners were urged to vote for Apartheid during the elections, with support from the church and cultural organizations. The ruling united party aims to boost the working class in the black South African community. They seek to
establish a stable urban working class with extra labor in predominantly white regions. The nationalist aimed to supply white employers with labor. The nationalists desired for the unemployed black individuals to be returned to the
reserved areas. The nationalist argued that apartheid did not effectively address high crime rates, increasing prices, and unemployment among whites. The NP's policy was attractive to white farmers opposed to the movement of
Africans to cities. The migration policy was having a negative impact on farmers' labor requirements. This led to higher wages and lower profits. During the elections, NP made a commitment to voters to safeguard the job
opportunities of white individuals by implementing laws pertaining to job reservation.