In the period between the outbreak of World War II and the enactment of the of university apartheid act by the Nationalist government in 1959,  the University of the Witwatersrand developed as an ‘open university’. This, the second volume of the history of Wits, has as its central theme the process by which Wits became ‘open’, the compromises this process entailed, and the defense the University mounted to preserve its ‘open’ status in the face of the challenge posed by the Nationalist Government.

This book looks at the University’s role in South Africa’s war effort, its contribution to the education of ex-volunteers after the war, its leading role in training the professionals required by a rapidly expanding economy, and the rise of research and postgraduate study.

Bill Murray is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and president of the Croxley Wits Cricket Club.