Timeline of Apartheid History
Key Events in Apartheid from 1912 to 1959
| 1910 | Union of South Africa |
| 1912 | Formation of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) |
| 1913 | Black (or Natives) Land Act No. 27 of 1913 |
| 1914 | Formation of (Afrikaner) National Party |
| 1923 | SANNC changes its name to African National Congress (ANC) |
| Native (Black) Urban Areas Act No 21 of 1923 | |
| 1936 | Representation of Blacks Act No 12 of 1936 |
| 1939 | Formation of the Ossewabrandwag |
| 1940 | Hertzog and Malan form the Herenigde Nasionale Party (HNP, Reunited National Party) |
| 1944 | ANC Youth League formed |
| 1946 | Smuts sets up the Fagan Commission |
| 1948 | Fagan Commission makes its report recommending the relaxation of segregation laws |
| Sauer Commission makes its report recommending implementation of Apartheid | |
| HNP wins general election on Apartheid platform (by majority of parliamentary seats, not on overall votes) | |
| 1949 | Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act No 55 of 1949 |
| 1950 | Population Registration Act No 30 of 1950 |
| Group Areas Act No 41 of 1950 | |
| Suppression of Communism Act, Act No 44 of 1950 | |
| 1951 | Separate Representation of Voters Act No 46 of 1951 |
| Black (Bantu) Authorities Act No 68 of 1951 | |
| 1952 | Defiance Campaign starts |
| Blacks (Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents) Act No 67 of 1952 | |
| 1953 | Bantu Education Act No 47 of 1953 |
| Reservation of Separate Amenities Act No 49 of 1953 | |
| 1954 | Federation of South African Women formed |
| 1955 | Forced removal of Blacks from Sophiatown (9 February) |
| Congress of the People adopts the Freedom Charter (June) | |
| 1956 | Treason Trial begins |
| Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act No 30 of 1956 | |
| 1958 | NP wins 103 out of 163 seats in parliament in general election (August) |
| 1959 | Pan African Congress (PAC) formed |
| Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act No 46 of 1959 |
