Apartheid: The Boycott Movement

World War II and the atrocities that occurred due to the overbearingly anti-Semitic ideals of the German government and its social majority made the world hypersensitive to other acts of subjugation based on race in years following. The issue of racist legislation in South Africa was brought to, and discussed in, the United Nations in 1952, 6 years after India first voiced its concerns for the treatment of Indian people living in the nation. The South African government objected to any UN intervention by reasons of maintaining its sovereignty, and many western nations agreed; “[…] apartheid [is] part of the internal affairs of [South Africa], and for this reason [falls] beyond the scope of the United Nations” (South African History Online 2011). …show more content…
As a result, the UN was helpless in instilling any form of repercussions against South Africa in order to maintain its legitimacy. However, there was still much apprehension in the international community for the racism perpetuated by the South African government. To express their disapproval of Apartheid, a group of British activists initiated what was referred to as the Boycott Movement in the spring of 1959. The movement asked consumers to stop purchasing South African products to show solidarity with the movement. Many times, boycotts tend to affect not just the oppressors, but also the oppressed themselves; this did not occur in South Africa. Since black South Africans were under so many economic restraints, the boycotts had a major impact on the white