Government response and repression to the Sharpeville Massacre.
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Oct 7
The Sharpeville Massacre, which took place on March 21, 1960, was a turning point in the history of apartheid South Africa. The South African government responded to the massacre with a heavy-handed approach, cracking down on anti-apartheid activists and imposing even stricter measures to suppress dissent.
Immediately following the massacre, the government declared a state of emergency and deployed the military to enforce a curfew in townships across the country. Thousands of people were arrested, including leaders of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the organization that had organized the protest in Sharpeville.
The government also banned the PAC and the African National Congress (ANC), the two main anti-apartheid organizations, and imposed harsh restrictions on the media to prevent the spread of information about the massacre. The government used the massacre as a pretext to further entrench apartheid policies and crack down on any form of opposition.
In the aftermath of the Sharpeville Massacre, international condemnation of the South African government grew, leading to increased pressure on the apartheid regime to end its discriminatory policies. The massacre served as a catalyst for the anti-apartheid movement, galvanizing resistance and solidarity both within South Africa and around the world.
Overall, the government's response to the Sharpeville Massacre was characterized by repression, violence, and a further entrenchment of apartheid policies. However, the massacre also served to mobilize and unite the anti-apartheid movement, ultimately contributing to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa.