Interwar Segregation Policy in the Union of South Africa: Paving the Road to Apartheid

Abstract

This paper reflects a political scene of the Union of South Africa during the interwar era. During this time the Union had to solve two capital problems. Firstly it was the issue of coexistence of Afrikaner and English-speaking population. Secondly the government had to deal with the matter of native affairs. Time showed which one of these questions was more important for the government to be answered in the first place. There were two politicians who stood out from others with their rhetoric and political opinions: James Hertzog and Jan Smuts. Their decisions were crucial for the Union’s interwar policy.