Did White Bread Give the National Party Power in '48?

Karen, USA, emailed me recently saying: "I read The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. It is a fictionalized account of South Africa. I have a question about this quote from the book: '...In fact, the turning point [1948 when the Nationalist party won and started apartheid] came not because of an ideological clash between white and white, but because the Nationalists promised to bring back white bread to replace the healthier whole wheat loaf which had been introduced during the war [WWII].' Can you verify whether the author was using poetic license when he wrote the white bread part of his story or if, in fact, this really was one of the reasons that the Nationalists came into power in 1948?"

It is not a simple answer, since there is some historical justification for Courtenay's account. Find out more in this Apartheid FAQ.