Final answer:
Apartheid was a policy of institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa that enforced white supremacy from 1948 to the early 1990s. It created divisions and restricted the rights of non-white inhabitants. International condemnation and internal resistance, including from Nelson Mandela and the ANC, eventually led to the dismantling of apartheid.
Step-by-step explanation:
Apartheid refers to the system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that was enforced in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. Under this system, the rights of the majority black inhabitants were curtailed, and white supremacy was legally maintained. Racial discrimination became formally integrated into the country's governance, where ethnic groups were separately classified into white, black, colored (mixed race), and further divisions for those of Asian and Indian descent. White South Africans, mainly of European descent, held the majority of political power, while other racial groups, especially the black majority, were systematically disenfranchised.
During apartheid, separate homelands were designated for different ethnic groups, forcing many to be displaced from their homes and relocated based on racial categorization. People living in these homelands could only vote for representatives within these areas and had no say in the broader South African government policies. The controversial policy drew international condemnation, resulting in economic sanctions and trade restrictions against South Africa.
The resistance against apartheid was led by figures like Nelson Mandela and organizations such the African National Congress (ANC). The international pressure and domestic unrest eventually led F.W. De Klerk's government to begin dismantling these oppressive policies, culminating in the end of apartheid in the early 1990s.