Between the 19th and mid-20th centuries, South Africa was transformed from a region with a variety of pre-industrial economies and societies into a unified State characterised by an advanced industrial economy, racial segregation and huge inequalities of wealth. This book examines the making of modern South Africa. Thematic chapters discuss the emergence and consolidation of white political hegemony, changes on the land, urbanization and town culture, racism, segregation and apartheid, and patterns of resistance. The final chapter explores the nature of state reformism after the 1976 Soweto uprising.