Final answer:
Apartheid in South Africa was a legal system enforcing racial segregation and white supremacy from 1948 to 1994, deeply affecting every aspect of life for the majority population. It was eventually dismantled, leading to a democratic society with Nelson Mandela as its first black president.
Step-by-step explanation:
Apartheid was a system of institutional racism that operated in South Africa between 1948 and 1994, designed to ensure the complete subjugation of the African majority by legally enforcing white supremacy. The system classified South Africans into racial groups of white, black, colored (mixed race), and those of Asian or Indian descent. Under apartheid, the injustices ranged from segregation in education, living conditions and limited political representation to impacts on wealth distribution and social climate. On a more hopeful note, the dissolution of apartheid began with the efforts of individuals like Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, marking the transition to a democratic government and setting the nation on a path toward racial reconciliation and social equality.