The Making of Apartheid, 1948-1961: Conflict and Compromise

This book breaks new ground in exposing some of the crucial political processes and struggles which shaped the reciprocal development of Apartheid and capitalism in South Africa. The author's compelling analysis debunks the orthodoxy in the literature, which presents apartheid as the product of a single "grand plan" created by the State in response to the pressures of capital accumulation. Using a case study of influx control during the first phase of apartheid (1948-1961), Posel shows that apartheid arose from complex patterns of conflict and compromise within the State in which white capitalists, the black working class, and popular movements exercised varying and uneven degrees of influence.