[muawiyah]

"Apartheid" is a far gentler word than "slavery".

If you don't believe me ask a slave!

[schu]

Probably, a matter of which is worse.

Without getting too deep into the specific definition, Apartheid means a a society based upon racial segregation (laws, customs, etc), this might or might not include slavery. Slavery can exist in a "free" society like the pre-Civil War south, and this institution may or may not be legal or condoned by law, but is accepted, even promoted by the society.

Either term you use, pre-Civil War south was very close to Nazi Germany in a fundamental moral way as previously mentioned, the idea that one group of people is superior to the other. Reprehensible IMHO.