Germany was a late comer in the colonial race. She had initially opposed the acquisition of overseas territories but later changed her mind. With her new-found fame and power after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, she summoned the Berlin Conference of 1884. At this conference, it was agreed that the “scramble for Africa” would proceed peacefully. Before her ouster from Africa after World War 11, Germany boasted of Togoland, Tanganyika, Namibia and Kamerun as colonies.
The character of German colonialism
The trademark of German colonialism in Africa was brutality. According to the Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara, South West Africa was ranked the most repressive settler society in Africa under German colonialism. This same source also observes that the Germans attempted genocide of the Herero population in central South West Africa. In 1905-1907, the Germans brutally suppressed the “Maji Maji” revolt in Tanganyika, causing 250.000 deaths due to famine and disease.
The use of Africans as forced laborers was also a distinctive feature of German colonial rule. This followed the seizure of African lands for the establishment of German plantations. Centralization was the core philosophy behind German colonial administration. It was characterized by an “iron fist” approach, or the use of force to bring Africans to order.
Cameroon: A case study in German colonialism in Africa
Germany acquired Cameroon by outwitting Britain in the “scramble for Cameroon.” This refers to Britain’s reluctance to annex the territory despite several appeals by coastal chiefs of this territory. Germany used this reluctance to its advantage and signed the Germano-Duala treaty of 1884 which gave her a leeway into the interior of Cameroon or Kamerun as it was thenceforth called. In this process, she smashed all opposition with ruthless brutality. Some tribes collaborated though.
Direct rule as a German colonial policy established a rigid chain of administration from the Kaiser to the Governor General in Kamerun who wielded supreme authority. This centralization was based on the master race theory which like all other colonial powers, presumed the superiority of the German race against the inferiority of Africans. Again, this provided a justification for Germany’s “civilizing mission” n Africa.
German economic policy in Kamerun
The Rise of Plantation Economies In Africa
Like in the rest of Africa, German economic policy in Kamerun was inspired by the Herensvolk, the need for colonies to produce raw materials to feed German industries. Driven by this philosophy Germany transformed African food crop economies into cash crop economies. In Kamerun, it established the West African Plantation Company Victoria (WAPV). This company operated many plantations involved in the production of cash crops.
Land confiscation was what made German colonialism similar to that of the British. Between 1884 and 1916, some 250.000 acres of land were confiscated around the Kamerun coast for the establishment of German plantations. Again like in the rest of colonial Africa, this constituted the most fertile lands. In the case of German Kamerun, these plantations were situated on the fertile volcanic soils on the slopes of Mount Kamerun. The original inhabitants were simply relegated to the barren rocks.
End of colonial rule and the fate of German plantations in Cameroon
German colonialism in Africa ended with her defeat in the First World War. Her spoils in Africa were partitioned among the victorious powers and Kamerun fell into the hands of Britain and France. Much of the plantations fell into the British sector of Cameroon (the name changed again). The British colonial administration regrouped these plantations in 1947 into one large agro-industrial complex – the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC).
After Cameroon’s independence, the CDC survived as the most vibrant state company in Cameroon, the second largest employer after the government. Its fate was, however, cut short when the government of Cameroon embraced privatization in the late 1990s. Since then, the corporation has been dismembered. The tea sector was bought over by the Cameroon Tea Estates (CTE) which many have concluded is bad manifestation of privatization. What links the CTE to the original German plantations is the frightful death toll of workers.
Author Sunil S.
The character of German colonialism
The trademark of German colonialism in Africa was brutality. According to the Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara, South West Africa was ranked the most repressive settler society in Africa under German colonialism. This same source also observes that the Germans attempted genocide of the Herero population in central South West Africa. In 1905-1907, the Germans brutally suppressed the “Maji Maji” revolt in Tanganyika, causing 250.000 deaths due to famine and disease.
The use of Africans as forced laborers was also a distinctive feature of German colonial rule. This followed the seizure of African lands for the establishment of German plantations. Centralization was the core philosophy behind German colonial administration. It was characterized by an “iron fist” approach, or the use of force to bring Africans to order.
Cameroon: A case study in German colonialism in Africa
Germany acquired Cameroon by outwitting Britain in the “scramble for Cameroon.” This refers to Britain’s reluctance to annex the territory despite several appeals by coastal chiefs of this territory. Germany used this reluctance to its advantage and signed the Germano-Duala treaty of 1884 which gave her a leeway into the interior of Cameroon or Kamerun as it was thenceforth called. In this process, she smashed all opposition with ruthless brutality. Some tribes collaborated though.
Direct rule as a German colonial policy established a rigid chain of administration from the Kaiser to the Governor General in Kamerun who wielded supreme authority. This centralization was based on the master race theory which like all other colonial powers, presumed the superiority of the German race against the inferiority of Africans. Again, this provided a justification for Germany’s “civilizing mission” n Africa.
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German economic policy in Kamerun
The Rise of Plantation Economies In Africa
Like in the rest of Africa, German economic policy in Kamerun was inspired by the Herensvolk, the need for colonies to produce raw materials to feed German industries. Driven by this philosophy Germany transformed African food crop economies into cash crop economies. In Kamerun, it established the West African Plantation Company Victoria (WAPV). This company operated many plantations involved in the production of cash crops.
Land confiscation was what made German colonialism similar to that of the British. Between 1884 and 1916, some 250.000 acres of land were confiscated around the Kamerun coast for the establishment of German plantations. Again like in the rest of colonial Africa, this constituted the most fertile lands. In the case of German Kamerun, these plantations were situated on the fertile volcanic soils on the slopes of Mount Kamerun. The original inhabitants were simply relegated to the barren rocks.
End of colonial rule and the fate of German plantations in Cameroon
German colonialism in Africa ended with her defeat in the First World War. Her spoils in Africa were partitioned among the victorious powers and Kamerun fell into the hands of Britain and France. Much of the plantations fell into the British sector of Cameroon (the name changed again). The British colonial administration regrouped these plantations in 1947 into one large agro-industrial complex – the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC).
After Cameroon’s independence, the CDC survived as the most vibrant state company in Cameroon, the second largest employer after the government. Its fate was, however, cut short when the government of Cameroon embraced privatization in the late 1990s. Since then, the corporation has been dismembered. The tea sector was bought over by the Cameroon Tea Estates (CTE) which many have concluded is bad manifestation of privatization. What links the CTE to the original German plantations is the frightful death toll of workers.
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Author Sunil S.
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