German East Africa

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Appropriation of the country and development until 1904

Into the 1880er years became loud in Germany voices, which demanded an intensified colonial policy. Realm chancellor Otto von Bismarck rejected this at the beginning, since he concentrated mostly with regard to foreign policy on Europe. But the increasing social and economic problems forced the German Reich to acting. Thus allegedly new sales markets, which would bring in already large wealth for other European colonial powers, were missing to the economy. Dominant business circles expected an attenuation of the erstarkenden workers' movement by an emigration campaign with a goal of the settlement one "„German India "“in overseas, where there would be allegedly shining development possibilities. This idea fell on fruitful soil in nationalistic gesinnten circles of the middle class and the aristocracy.

Driving Kraft with the Kolonialisierung of Africa was the minister son Carl Peter, who received the task in the society for German Kolonisation, created by him to take areas in Africa in possession. On 10 November 1884 arrived Peter at Sansibar. It traveled camouflaged, since its project should remain undiscovered opposite the British.

A little later the first "„protection contracts were locked "“on the mainland, which affirmed the requirement of the Kolonisationsgesellschaft on the country, whose actual sense was mostly not understood about the signing chieftains however. On 27 February 1885 emperor Wilhelm I. published a charter, which legitimized the occupation of eastAfrican areas. The German East Africa niche society under the direction of Carl Peter, renamed in the meantime, had now also the support of the German Reich and could the annexations further advance. In the same year the Sultanate of Witu turned out in German possession. Peter succeeded it in the future to acquire large territories for Germany. So it could win 1887 the coastal region from Umba to the Rovuma for itself.

1888 came it to the rebellion of a majority of the Arab coined/shaped coastal population under the slave trader Buschiri are Salim of Tanga in the north to Lindi in the south against the German appropriation and of this imposed prohibition of the slave trade (the so-called Arab rebellion). The Black African population stood in this conflict by the majority on side of the Germans, since she had to suffer up to the appearance of the Europeans much from the Arab slave trade. On 3 February 1889 to the realm commissioner appointed and at point "“standing Hermann of Wissmann it succeeded to a again formed "„colonial force to strike down the revolt. The troop standing under guidance of German officers consisted first mainly of landstrange African mercenaries (Askari), usually Sudanesen. The rebellion leader Buschiri is Salim on 15 December 1889 was executed. The Arab slave trade, whose center was in East Africa the Sultanate of Sansibar, stopped.

On 1 July 1890 the Helgoland Sansibar contract between Germany and Great Britain was locked. The contract regulated the delivery of the North Sea island Helgoland and the Caprivi Zipfels (today Namibia) to the German Reich, during Witu country (today part of Kenya) and the requirements on Sansibar were surrendered to Great Britain. 1891 were subordinated German East Africa as "„protected area "“officially to the administration by the German Reich, and the soldiers of Wissmann received the official designation colonial force. First civil governor was 1891-93 Julius baron von Soden. It followed 1893-95 Friedrich of Schele, which stated a punitive expedition after arguments with the Massai 1894 against the Wahehe and which fortress Kuironga of chieftain Mkwawa could conquer. Carl Peter was appointed 1891 the realm commissioner, but due to of cruelty reproaches 1897 again dismisses. It came to further collections against the colonial administration, which from 1897 to 1901 Eduard von Liebert managed as a governor. The rebellion of the powerful Wahehe people in the south of the protected area was struck down until 1898.

In 20. Century strengthened one the agricultural development, by introducing the india rubber and cultivation of cotton. Many indigenous labor was drawn in for it to the hard labour and loaded additionally still by high tax deliveries.

The Maji Maji rebellion

Because of increasing repressive measures, the increase of the taxes and the introduction of the Dorfschamben in such a way specified (cotton fields, on which the inhabitants of a village were forced to the work) the Maji Maji rebellion particularly broke 1905 off. First unrests occurred in the second July half in the Matumbi mountains, west the coastal town Kilwa. The German colonial administration in Daressalam hoped at this time still that it concerned thereby a locally limited event. This estimate of the governor Gustav Adolf count von should prove however at the latest on 15 August as completely missed, when conquered the insurgent military posts of Liwale. The resistance against colonial rule accepted thereby for the Germans finally threatening extents.

The special danger for the colonial administration lay in the structure of the resistance, which spread fast over ethnical and political borders away. Within fewer weeks and months followed different groups of peoples of the rebellion movement. This was made possible particularly by the Maji cult, which encountered traditional myths taking up in different areas resonance. The prophet Kinjikitile Ngwale preached the resistance against the Germans and common its message by "„holy of water "“(water = Maji) as a kind medicine. The Maji should protect the insurgent ones in the fight, by being supposed to transform the hostile rifle bullets to water drops. Integrative Kraft of the Maji cult found its high point in the storm on the Boma (fastened station) of Mahenge on 30 August 1905, when scarcely 4000 African attacked the German post, which was defended of approximately 80 men colonial force and 200 men loyalen native one. In the machine gun fire the Maji malfunctioned however its effect, and the aggressors suffered devastating losses.

The setback of Mahenge did not mean however yet the end of the expansion of rebellion. Further groups followed the movement, and so the insurgent ones controlled half of the colony in October about. In the consequence of the involving heavy losses open field battles the insurgent ones were shifted nevertheless soon on the guidance of a guerilla war against the Germans, that itself, although without past spreading co-operation, until 1907 continued.

Starting from 1906 the Germans resisted the Guerilla tactics of the insurgent with one "„strategy of the burned earth "“. Villages were burned destroyed, harvests and supplies, filled up wells and taken member of the ringleaders in "„kinship detention "“, in order to extract the insurgent basis for warfare. In addition, the consequence was a devastating hunger disaster, which depopulated whole regions and which lastingly changed the social structures of the African society. The losses on sides of the insurgent ones become today estimated on 100.000 to 300,000 persons. On the opposite side 15 Europeans and 389 African soldiers died. The number of German soldiers in the colony (without African Askari) never lay during the entire rebellion over 1000 men (beside the colonial force still crew members of German warships as "„land soldiers "“to the employment as well as war kriegfreiwillige civilians, under it a number of not-German white, mostly British and South Africans came). Reichstag in Berlin no additional means wanted to grant for thrashing the rebellion, since the colony in contrast to as "„settlement colony "“carried intended German southwest Africa "„"“had.

The procedures in East Africa were noticed for different reasons in the German Reich hardly and stood and/or to stand until today in the shade of the war in German southwest Africa. In order to secure the stability of the colony, the rule system was defused after the end of the war under the new governor Rechenberg. The reform measures failed however to a large extent because of the resistance of the white settlers. There was no considerable resistance nevertheless up to the end of the German rule in East Africa more.