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The German Colonization of Southwest Africa and the Anglo-German Rivalry, 1883-1915

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The German Colonization of Southwest Africa and the Anglo-German Rivalry, 1883-1915 University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Student Work 7-1-1995 Doors left open then slammed shut: The German colonization of Southwest Africa and the Anglo-German rivalry, 1883-1915 Matthew Erin Plowman University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork Recommended Citation Plowman, Matthew Erin, "Doors left open then slammed shut: The German colonization of Southwest Africa and the Anglo-German rivalry, 1883-1915" (1995). Student Work. 435. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/435 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DOORS LEFT OPEN THEN SLAMMED SHUT: THE GERMAN COLONIZATION OF SOUTHWEST AFRICA AND THE ANGLO-GERMAN RIVALRY, 1883-1915. A Thesis Presented to the Department of History and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha by Matthew Erin Plowman July 1995 UMI Number: EP73073 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI Blsaartalibn Publish*rig UMI EP73073 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 THESIS ACCEPTANCE Acceptance for the faculty of the Graduate College, University of Nebraska, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree, Univer­ sity of Nebraska at Omaha. Committee Name Dept/School Chai rperson^v Z ll Date P "> -& ^ Abstract In 1883, Otto von Bismark had a “change of heart” regarding colonialism. Through shrewd diplomacy and secrecy, the German Chancellor was able to spring the reality of German colonies on the world, particularly in the last available or unclaimed regions in Africa and Oceania where the Germans subsequently encroached upon British territory. One of Germany’s first colonies was Southwest Africa, or present-day Namibia, where a German businessman secured the purchase of a large tract of the Skeleton Coast from indigenous rulers and then requested the protection of the German Reich, which Berlin granted to him. The result was a vicious dispute of private claims between German and British citizens and an entangled diplomacy between the two empires. In Britain, both Tory and Liberal governments tried to prevent the Germans from establishing themselves so close to their precious Cape Colony and both later attempted to confine the German territory so that the Afrikaners in the Transvaal could not link up with the Germans. Eventually, London and Cape Town would only succeed in the latter. Both Britain and the Cape failed to produce any evidence of prior official claims to the Skeleton Coast. In fact, any official British presence there had been previously withdrawn, leaving a vacuum, because of the bloody wars between the indigenous tribes. They had “left the door wide open” for the Germans to walk into southern Africa, and when they tried to close this door, the British found Bismark’s foot firmly established in it. Humiliatingly, Bismark forced both London and Cape Town to support Germany’s control of Southwest Africa by turning down offers of annexation from indigenous tribes or from British traders (with one such trader even trying to establish an independent republic) who wanted a British presence there. In the end, Britain admitted to the world that this was German soil. Although Southwest Africa was not a prosperous German colony at first, requiring many subsidies from the Reich, it became the most popular desti­ nation for German colonists far exceeding the other German colonies in Africa and Oceania due to the relatively small native population and large tracts of seemingly vacant land. Yet as the 20th century came, Southwest African mining began to profit and the discovery of diamonds created an economic boom which finally made Southwest Africa a valuable asset to the German Reich. The German colonists did have, and created, some problems with the indigenous population or particularly with the Herero and Nama tribes. Although the German colonial government was able to gain control over them in the 1890’s, they had an explosive rebellion in the early years of this century which pushed German policy to a horrifying extreme, rivaling even the later Third Reich in its brutality. Yet just as the German colonial government had gained total control over Southwest Africa and just as the colony had become profitable with a hopeful future, World War I gave Britain and the Union of South Africa the pretext to invade the German colony. Despite the South African rule over the territory until just recently when Namibia became independent, the German impact on the region is as fundamental as the genetic makeup of a living creature. Acknowledgments The first and foremost person I wish to thank is my wife Laurie, for whom I dedicate this work. For our entire first year of marriage she has had to share me with this thesis and pick up the slack around the house while I spent hours in my study. Her love and understanding kept me going, though I am positive she is glad it is over. You have your husband back, Laurie. I would like to thank my thesis committee Dale A. Gaeddert and Orville D. Menard, and particularly my thesis advisor, Richard Overfield for all the help he gave me in my rough drafts and for making all the administrative arrangements for me. Dr. Overfield’s suggestions in structural changes and his exorcism of the passive tense have made my thesis much more readable. I would not have been able to put this together without him. I also thank all my Namibian friends who went to Dana College with me (Klemens, Mathaus, Katoko, Kandjimi, and Martin). Every time I sat down with them for supper in the cafeteria I remember their stories of their homeland which fascinated me. I hope my thesis gave their country justice in its account. I am grateful to Katoko for giving me his own copy of Drechsler. I will always remember them, especially when I glance at the SWAPO hat they gave me. Some of them, I expect, will be Namibian leaders one day, carrying the enthusiasm they have had since that day when I was with them when Namibia was freed. I also appreciate the assistance I received at UNL Love Library’s microservices, where they assisted me in sending seven hundred pages of British documents to Missouri to be photocopied. Additionally, a thanks goes out to Tom Jackson who helped me create a flexible work schedule and tolerated me coming to work with only a few hours of sleep at times, so that I could put this thesis to bed. I thank my family and all my friends who supported and encouraged me in this year-long endeavor. And finally, I want to thank Don Warman and Richard Jorgensen of Dana College who wooed me into the love of history in the first place. CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v PREFACE vi CHAPTER 1: “OPEN DOORS ENTERED.” 1 CHAPTER 2: “THE SCRAMBLE.” 45 CHAPTER 3: “WALLS RAISED.” 96 CHAPTER 4: “BLOOD, DIAMONDS, AND THE END.” 146 EPILOGUE 188 BIBLIOGRAPHY 192 V ILLUSTRATIONS MAPS Between Pages PLATE 1: SOUTHWEST AFRICA, 1883-1885 ix-1 PLATE 2: SOUTHWEST AFRICA, 1886-1915 95-96 vi Preface Southwest Africa, or modern-day Namibia, extends from Angola to the Union of South Africa on the Atlantic coast and inland to the Zambezi River and the Kalahari Desert. Namibia’s Skeleton Coast was named for the skeletons of ships which wrecked along the thousand miles of quicksand-infested shore where the great battle between the cold, rough Atlantic and the fierce Namib Desert took place. The latter is the oldest desert in the world where dunes can reach nearly a thousand feet high and at times create an impenetrable barrier. The average temperature in this southern hemispheric country is around sixty degrees fahrenheit in July and the mid- to upper seventies in January. Only between the Namib and the Kalahari is there land of any agricultural value. In the southern region, called Namaland, the karakul sheep thrive in the semi- desert where over seventy acres of land are needed to support one animal. In the central region between the great deserts lies Hereroland where the capital of Windhoek was eventually established by the Germans. Here, with somewhat more rainfall, the indigenous population and European settlers were able to raise larger livestock such as cattle (though some cattle can be raised in northern Namaland as well). In seasons with enough rain great grasslands form, but in years of drought thousands of livestock die and the earth becomes parched. Ovamboland is the last great region lying in the extreme north where there is enough rainfall for cultivation and settled agriculture. Nearly half the population of Southwest Africa or Namibia, both in its history and even now, lives in Ovamboland. In addition, Giraffes, wildebeest, lions, oryx, elephants, and many other great African animals still roam the countryside in and between vii Hereroland and Ovamboland.
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