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D. F. Malan

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Daniël François Malan was a very important leader in South Africa. He served as the fourth prime minister of the country. He held this top job from 1948 to 1954. During his time in power, his party started a system called apartheid. This system used laws to keep people of different races apart. These laws were used to separate people in their daily lives. Malan was a central figure in how South Africa changed during this time.

Before he was a politician, Malan was a student and a minister. He studied music and science at Victoria College in Stellenbosch. Later, he studied to be a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. He even went to the University of Utrecht to study more. He was a big supporter of the Afrikaans language. He helped start a group called the ATKV to protect that language. He also worked as an editor for a newspaper called Die Burger.

His path to politics started with his work at the newspaper. He used the paper to share ideas with other people. In 1918, he was elected to Parliament for the first time. He represented a place called Calvinia in the House of Assembly. Later, he represented a place called Piketberg. In 1924, he became a minister for education and health. He worked hard to change the national flag and the constitution.

Politics in South Africa changed a lot during his life. In 1934, Malan helped form the Purified National Party. He led this group for fourteen years as the opposition. He also did not want South Africa to join World War II. This caused a split in the government. Because of this, his party became much stronger. In the 1948 election, he defeated the United Party to become prime minister.

As prime minister, Malan made many big decisions for the country. In 1950, he passed a law about court appeals. In 1953, he was given extra powers to stop movements that fought apartheid. These movements were led by Black and Indian people. Malan resigned from his job in 1954 when he was 80 years old. He died in 1959 at his home in Stellenbosch. He left behind a book about his experiences and his ideas.

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