German Colonial Administration

[freefrench]

To get off the only-army topics,

Was the German colonial system fair (well fairer than the brits and french) in Africa?

[Peter H]

At least they didn't follow Leopold's rule of the Belgian Congo.

http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/leopold.html

http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/sep19 ... -s06.shtml

http://www.religioustolerance.org/genocong.htm

However:

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/35/181.html

Hochschild cannot fathom how the reform movement in Europe focused exclusively on Leopold's Congo when "if you reckon [the] mass murder by the percentage of the population killed", the Germans did as much in Namibia, if not worse, than Leopold in Congo.

"By these standards", Hochschild argues, "the toll was even worse among the Hereros in German South West Africa, today's Namibia. The killing there was masked by no smokescreen of talk about philanthropy. It was genocide, pure and simple, starkly announced in advance.

A little known aspect of German rule in Samoa was also the Mau A Pule’ 'rebellion' of 1908/9.Non-violent but also an indictment of poor colonial adminstration:

http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WenGua-c4.html


Also on Samoa:

http://www.samoa.co.uk/books/history-of ... moa-8.html

Solf first visited Fiji and studied British methods of colonisation there. He proceeded slowly to establish an efficient and stable government, knowing well that only thus could satisfaction be. Existing regulations were gradually modified to suit the new requirements. In May he created, in lieu of the Council of the Municipality, a Governor's Council of six members, two of whom were British. German government officials came from Germany and a wholesome, if somewhat costly, system of civil service was established. At least one of these officials was British. The Geman Vice-Consul at Sydney, one Hubert Knipping, was temporarily appointed Judge of the Court having jurisdiction over whites. For the first time in history Samoa saw and felt the benefit of a good and united government. Taxation was not sensibly increased, yet useful roads were slowly pushed out from Apia and public buildings rose one after another......

Praise has been given German administration; there were matters that were not so pleasing. The Lauati incident of 1909 was rather a reversion to the dark ages. Lauati, a man of rank of Savaii had for many years been famous as an influential native and more as an orator in his beautiful Samoan language. The exact cause of his incurring German displeasure has not been divulged, but the offender was long known to be pro-British and it is suspected that he had sent letters to the Colonies praying for their help in matters connected with taxation. However that may be, in the year mentioned Lauati and several other chiefs with their families were banished by German warship to Saipan, of the Marianne Group. There they remained until Fortune's wheel having brought the British to Samoa, and Japan to the Mariannes arrangements were made for their return, which after some difficulty was carried out in 1915. Unfortunately Lauati died on the return journey.

The system of government moreover was bureaucratic; the taxpayers had no direct representation. But the most vicious thing about the Germam administration was its persistent refusal to allow to the community a knowledge of its finance. The reason is obvious. It was part of the well thought out policy. Samoa soon commenced to pay as it easily can do, and Germany quietly pocketed the surplus. There were sufficient colonial deficiencies elsewhere no doubt. On the very best authority it may be stated that in the latter years of her administration in Samoa, Germany made substantial surpluses which were carried off in gold by warship on at least one occasion to swell the coffers of the Fatherland. In 1912 a surplus was thus available of a quarter of a million marks.

[Peter H]

German Togoland was also ran "as an economically efficient though somewhat brutal colony".Forced labour,like the Belgian Congo example,was the problem there.

http://www.anani.de/togo_history3.htm

Exports of Ewe-produced palm oil, along with a harsh system of taxation, resulted in a positive financial balance for the colony by 1907. For this reason, the Germans referred to Togo as their Musterkolonie, or "showcase colony." The Germans required 12 days of forced labor yearly from every able-bodied male in the colony, or a cash payment calculated on the basis of an individual's (often non-cash) income. Forced labor was deployed primarily on public works projects, such as the pier at Lom?, completed in 1904, and a series of railroads radiating out from the capital to the major cash-crop production zones in the south.

African-Americans were also recruited to advise on the new cotton industry set up there:

http://www.historycooperative.org/cgi-b ... ckert.html

The imposition of the German language on the people of Togo:

http://etudesafricaines.revues.org/document27.html

[soldat_m56]

On the other hand, the government did take over in Deutsche Ostafrika to end the abuses of the Ostafrika Gesellschaft. Germany also outlawed slavery, sometime in the late 1890s I think.

Genocide in DSWA? I don't know if it was exactly that. I thought the Hottentot (or Herero) Revolt was a colonial uprising that ended by the excessive use of force by the Germans.