Task 2 Research and collecting information: Investigation on Imperialism

Presented by Lucas Li, Nicole Shevalye and Sarah Arthya Hardjono

Presented to Mr. Ready-Webster

G10B Ind&Soc

Monday 5th December, 2022

Research Question

How did economic considerations influence Germany to colonize Namibia when it just became a

country in the late 19th century?

Sources

Source 1 Colonial Repercussions: Namibia. (2019). European Center for Constitutional and

Human Rights e.V. (ECCHR) and Akademie der Künste, Berlin. [online] Available at:

https://www.ecchr.eu/fileadmin/Publikationen/ECCHR_NAMIBIA_DS.pdf [Accessed 29 Nov.

2022].

- This genocide destroyed the Nama and Ovaherero populations at the time: up to 80% of the

Ovaherero, more than half of the Nama, and a large number of the Damara and San were

killed during the 1904-1908 war (ecchr.eu, 2019).

- General Lothar von Trotha's instructions to destroy the Ovaherero and Nama in 1904 and

1905 altered the course of history and the socioeconomic standing of Namibians at the time,

as well as generations of their descendants (ecchr.eu, 2019).

 - The psychological impact of rape of young girls and women, as well as massacres

(particularly of women and children), forced labor, and incarceration in concentration

camps, on survivors and descendants (ecchr.eu, 2019).

Source 2 Erichsen, C. (2019). German-Herero conflict of 1904–07 | African history. [online]

Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/German-Herero-conflict-of-1904-1907

[Accessed 23 Nov. 2022].

- The revenues earned from other parts of the country Namibia inspired Germany to occupy

other parts of the country brutally and murder the domestic only for the resources (Erichsen,

2019).

- Hereros wanted to choose peace negotiations after losing the war, but the German army still

chose to annihilate all Hereros (Erichsen, 2019).

- Most of the captives were sent to concentration camps, where working conditions were so

poor that almost half of them died within their first year in the camps(Erichsen, 2019).

Source 3 German South West Africa | historical state, Namibia | Britannica. (2020).

In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/German-

South-West-Africa [Accessed 25 Nov. 2022].

- By the latter 1880s, the German Colonia Company of the South realized that it was

incapable of administering the territory, which resulted in the German government taking

over the colony’s administration (Britannica.com, 2020).

 - Major Theodor Leutwein, governor of the colony in 1894-1904 suppressed the insurrections

of the Khoekhoe and the Hereros (Britannica.com, 2020).

- The Hereros formed a dangerous rebellion, which at first the German force had to face with

only 750 men against their 8000 with modern weapons. German victory was decided on the

Waterberg River. Further Khoekhoe rebellions were also put down in 1904-1907

(Britannica.com, 2020).

Source 4 Sahoboss. (2019). Namibia. [online] South African History Online. Available at:

https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/namibia [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].

- Due to harsh environmental conditions, Namibia was populated by various groups. The

population as made of San, Damaras, Ovambos, Namas, Hereros, Oorlams, Kavangos, East

Caprivians, Rehoboth Basters, Kaokovelders, Tswanas, and European settlers

(sahistory.org, 2019).

- Namibia is very rich in resources, with its main natural mineral products being copper,

gold, uranium, lead, and diamonds. Fishing was also a very prominent industry in Namibia,

however the exploitation of rich marine life and resources led to a near extinction of

anchovies and pilchards in the 1960s-70s (sahistory.org, 2019).

- When the Scramble for Africa was happening and when Germany chose Namibia as its

“protectorate”, it was because a tobacco merchant, Franz Luderitz, brought up coastal land

in 1882. The Germans officially established itself in Namibia by 1884, occupying the

Herero lands (sahistory.org, 2019).

Source 5 Welle (www.dw.com), D. (2021). Germany officially recognizes colonial-era

Namibia genocide | DW | 28.05.2021. [online] www.dw.com. Available at:

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-officially-recognizes-colonial-era-namibia-genocide/a-

57671070 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2022].

- Germany would establish a fund of €1.1 billion (US$1.34 billion) as a "gesture of

appreciation of the immense pain," according to SPD foreign minister Heiko Maas (Welle

(www.dw.com), 2021).

- The communities in Namibia asked Germany to return the stolen body parts which belong

to their ancestors and the looted art from Namibia (Welle(www.dw.com), 2021).

- German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas claimed that throughout the early 20th century,

Germany's treatment of the Herero and Nama people in what is now Namibia resulted in

"immeasurable agony."(Welle (www.dw.com), 2021).

Source 6 Welle (www.dw.com), D. (2021). Namibia: A timeline of Germany’s brutal colonial

history | DW | 22.09.2021. [online] DW.COM. Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/namibia-a-

timeline-of-germanys-brutal-colonial-history/a-57729985 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2022].

- Following the Berlin Conference, the area that is now Namibia is designated as German

South West Africa, a protectorate of the German Empire. These choices are determined by

European authorities with no input from the local population (Welle (www.dw.com), 2021).

- Hereros are driven into the harsh Omaheke region, where thousands of Hereros die of

hunger and thirst(Welle (www.dw.com), 2021).

 - Von Trotha (One of the leaders of the German colonial region) gives an extermination

order, warning that every Herero found in German-occupied land will be executed (Welle

(www.dw.com), 2021).

Evaluations

Source 2

The value of this website lies in its objectivity. As an online encyclopedia that has existed in the

UK for more than two hundred years, its average monthly users have reached 150

million (www.britannica.com, 2022), which proves that most people recognize the authority of

the articles on this website. This website objectively expounds Germany's influence on Hereros,

including how, why, details of the influence, and the results of the influence (Erichsen, 2019).

Although the authority of this website can be verified, the update frequency of the website is

slow, which means that a lot of new information cannot be presented immediately or wrong

information cannot be corrected immediately, which leads to the failure of the website accuracy

may be reduced (Prescott, Peter S., 1974). Regardless, this site presents an objective picture of

Germany's influence on Hereros, although some details may be wrong.

Source 3

The source’s evaluation and value lies in its credibility and objectivity. An encyclopedia is a

resource that is easily accessible, especially when online. This is no different with Encyclopedia

Britannica, the oldest English language encyclopedia with over 150 million monthly users

(Britannica, n.d.). With such a high count of visitors and users, this could be a definite hint that

Encyclopedia Britannica was highly credible. What sets this apart from other encyclopedias such
as Wikipedia, though, is that it is regulated by staff and cannot be freely edited, thus adding to

the credibility of the site. However, there are some points where the articles and pages are

lacking, which forces the reader to have to go through different articles at a time just to find the

answer that they need. It gives a brief explanation to, for example, the German South West

Africa (historical state) and leads to a different article called “The German-Herero Conflict of

1904-07”, which are both closely tied together. Regardless, this site is credible in what it is

presenting in regards to Germany’s influence to Namibia and the Hereros.

Appendix

Figure 1:

German forces brutally repressed rebellions — here, a lithography from a German newspaper

article at the time reporting on a battle with Herero people in the 1904

(Image: akg-images/picture alliance, 2021)

Figure 2:
Germany itself largely ignored its colonial atrocities in South West Africa. (Image:

www.dw.com, 2021)

Figure 3:

There is a memorial in Windhoek commemorating the atrocities (Image: Jürgen Bätz/dpa/picture

alliance, 2019)
Bibliography

- Colonial Repercussions: Namibia. (2019). [online] European Center for Constitutional and

Human Rights e.V. (ECCHR) and Akademie der Künste, Berlin. Available at:

https://www.ecchr.eu/fileadmin/Publikationen/ECCHR_NAMIBIA_DS.pdf [Accessed 29

Nov. 2022].

- Erichsen, C. (2019). German-Herero conflict of 1904–07 | African history. [online] Available

at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/German-Herero-conflict-of-1904-1907 [Accessed 23

Nov. 2022].

- German South West Africa | historical state, Namibia | Britannica. (2020). In: Encyclopædia

Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/German-South-West-

Africa [Accessed 25 Nov. 2022].

- Sahoboss. (2019). Namibia. [online] South African History Online. Available at:

https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/namibia [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].

- Welle (www.dw.com), D. (2021). Germany officially recognizes colonial-era Namibia

genocide | DW | 28.05.2021. [online] www.dw.com. Available at:

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-officially-recognizes-colonial-era-namibia-genocide/a-

57671070 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2022].

- Welle (www.dw.com), D. (2021). Namibia: A timeline of Germany’s brutal colonial history

| DW | 22.09.2021. [online] DW.COM. Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/namibia-a-

timeline-of-germanys-brutal-colonial-history/a-57729985 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2022].