Apartheid

Definition: Derived from the Afrikaans word for "apartness," apartheid is a term that came into usage in the 1930s and signified the political policy under which the races in South Africa were subject to "separate development." For the purpose of implementing these policies, apartheid recognized four races: Bantu, or black African; Coloured, or mixed race; white, and Asian. Apartheid met with both international condemnation and spurred a resistance movement among black South Africans. Apartheid was defined as a crime in 2002 by the International Criminal Court; the United Nations had declared it a crime against humanity in 1973, though many nations still not have signed on to the convention.