Apartheid FAQ: Was Desire for White Bread the Reason for Apartheid?
Apartheid FAQ: Was Desire for White Bread the Reason for Apartheid?I read ‘The Power of One’ by Bryce Courtenay. I have a question about this quote from the book: “…In fact, the turning point came not because of an ideological clash between white and white, but because the Nationalists promised to bring back white bread to replace the healthier whole wheat loaf which had been introduced during the war”. Can you verify if this really was one of the reasons that the Nationalists came into power in 1948? ~ Karen, USAAnswer: It is true that during, and immediately after, WWII the Smuts government had banned the “sifting” of flour which would have allowed people to bake white rather than brown bread – I have heard the stories of inspectors who would come around your house to check for black market goods and to check that you were not sifting flour (it was still common practice, you ;just hid the sieve). So the lack of white bread was an issue, but not one which would have influenced the e
