Book 4: Industrialisation, Rural Change and Nationalism - Glossary

From the book: Book 4: Industrialisation, Rural Change and Nationalism commissioned by The Department of Education

augur well - to be a sign that something good is about to happen

bywoner- a tenant farmer who laboured for the land owner in return for the right to cultivate a piece of land

Christian nationalism -an ideology grounded in and promoting Afrikaner religion, culture and language

class consciousness- an awareness of one’s place in a social system, especially as it relates to the struggle between the capitalist class and working class

delimit- to determine the limits or boundaries of

deputation- a body of persons appointed to carry a message or to state a case on behalf of those they represent, usually to a person or institution in authority

ethnic nationalism - belief that a particular ethnic group is superior to or better than other groups

Fascism- an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government, started in the 1920s in Italy by Benito Mussolini

fledgling- literally, a young bird just growing flight feathers but still unable to fly; hence, a person or organisation that is immature or inexperienced

FÁ¼hrer- leader; the title assumed by Adolph Hitler when he became ruler of Germany

Hertzog Bills- Prime Minister J.B.M. Hertzog introduced a set of bills in Parliament in 1926. They proposed to remove Africans in the Cape Province from the common voters roll, to establish a Native Representative Council (partly elected and partly appointed) with limited powers, and to add slightly more land to the reserves that had been formed by the 1913 Natives Land Act. The parliamentary opposition refused to support the bills. Ten years later, though, political alliances had changed and the bills became law as the Representation of Natives Act and the Native Trust and Land Act.

ideologue - a dogmatic or uncompromising adherent of an ideology

incremental - increasing regularly and a bit at a time

inertia - literally, resistance to change; thus, a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged; inactivity or lack of progress

intelligentsia- an intellectual and well-educated elite within a particular social group, regarded as possessing culture and political influence

makgolwa- totally urbanised, terminating ties with relatives in the rural areas

morgen- a South African measure of land equal to about 0.8 hectares or roughly two acres

Nazism - the philosophy of the National Socialist German Workers Party. It was an extremely racist and authoritarian philosophy, developed in the 1920s and 1930s by its leader, Adolf Hitler. Hitler’s aggressive nationalism was one of the chief causes of World War 2.

periodise - to divide into portions of time characterised by the same prevalent features or conditions

platteland- remote country districts

poor white- was defined as a “person who has become dependent to such an extent, whether from mental, moral, economic or physical causes, that he is unfit, without help from others, to find proper means of livelihood for himselfor to procure it directly or indirectly for his children”.

populism- advocating mass or broad public participation, especially in politics servility - submissiveness; readiness to please or recognise the authority of others; excessive willingness to please others

populist - seeking to appeal to the interests of ordinary people

pseudoscience- a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method
segregationist policies - those policies of the apartheid state that treated people differently on the basis of their race

sharecropping- a system where a certain amount of land is given to a tenant farmer to work, with the requirement that the tenant gives the owner of the land a portion of the crop as rent Western Transvaal sharecropper, Kas Maine, described it in this way:
“The seed is mine. The ploughshare is mine. The span of oxen is mine. Everything is mine. Only the land is theirs.”

Social Darwinismis a pseudoscientific theory developed during the midnineteenth century by Western scholars to establish a hierarchy of humans. Africans were defined as racially inferior while Europeans were seen as superior, with a sophisticated or well-developed material culture.

squalid - filthy, neglected, poverty-stricken

tautology- the unnecessary repetition within a statement of the same thing in different words

trekboer- a nomadic Afrikaner farmer

trenchant - cutting, vigorous, effective; usually used to refer to observations, criticisms or arguments

volk - a nation or people. In South Africa, it refers particularly to the Afrikaner people.

volkskapitalisme- capitalism in the interest of the volk

wildcat strike- a sudden and unofficial strike not organised by a trade union; spontaneous downing of tools or refusal to work