In the period between the outbreak of World War II and the enactment of the Extension of University Education Act in 1959, which established the system of apartheid, the University of Witwatersrand became known as an "open university". This second volume of the history of Wits covers that period.

In the period between the outbreak of World War II and the enactment of the Extension of University Education Act in 1959, which established the system of apartheid, the University of Witwatersrand became known as an "open university". This second volume of the history of Wits covers that period. Its focus is more political than that of the first volume with its central theme the extent to which the university in fact became "open" and the defence it mounted to preserve its "open" status in the face of the challenge posed after 1949 by the Nationalist Government and its policies.

Part 1 World War II and the ex-volunteers: Wits at war
Raikes and the "open university" 1939-48
Wits and the ex-volunteers
World War II, the ex-volunteers and student politics. Part 2 Wits in the post-war era 1945-1959: Raikes, student politics and the coming of aparteid
profile of Wits
professional faculties
arts and science
defending the "Open University"
end of an era. Part 3 Student life: student life in the 1950s, A.W. Stadler
Wits sport 1939-1959, Jonty Winch.