Immigration in the early 20th century greatly affected immigrants. Millions of people from all over the world came to America in hopes of a better life. Their hope was that America would provide them with more economic opportunities and more individual freedoms. Once they arrived, their individual experiences differed greatly, but there were some common themes.
Immigrants new to the country usually lived in big cities where they can obtain factory jobs. This allowed for immigrants to interact with individuals who came from the same country. This resulted in a sense of community for thousands of new Americans.
However, many Americans were upset with the new wave of immigration. Many feared that these individuals would take their jobs, as many immigrant workers were willing to work for less. This fear sparked a nativist movement. Nativism is the idea that the needs/wants of individuals who are born in a country should be priority over individuals new to the country. Nativism resulted in job discrimination against immigrants, making work more difficult to find.
The Great Depression and World War II brought increasing economic woes to South Africa, and convinced the government to strengthen its policies of racial segregation. In 1948, the Afrikaner National Party won the general election under the slogan “apartheid” (literally “apartness”).
