German South West Africa
German South West Africa (German: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884[1] until 1915,[2] though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.
This article is about the original German colony. For the South African colony, see South West Africa. For other uses, see South West Africa (disambiguation).
German South West AfricaDeutsch-Südwestafrika
Colony of Germany
99% Black African
0.8% White
0.2% other
7 August 1884
1904–1908
9 July 1915
28 June 1919
835,100 km2 (322,400 sq mi)
250,000
German rule over this territory was punctuated by numerous rebellions by its native African peoples, which culminated in a campaign of German reprisals from 1904 to 1908 known as the Herero and Namaqua genocide.
In 1915, during World War I, German South West Africa was invaded by the Western Allies in the form of South African and British forces. After the war its administration was taken over by the Union of South Africa (part of the British Empire) and the territory was administered as South West Africa under a League of Nations mandate. It became independent as Namibia on 21 March 1990.
Early settlements[edit]
Initial European contact with the areas which would become German South West Africa came from traders and sailors, starting in January 1486 when Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão, possibly accompanied by Martin Behaim, landed at Cape Cross. However, for several centuries, European settlement would remain limited and temporary. In February 1805, the London Missionary Society established a small mission in Blydeverwacht, but the efforts of this group met with little success. In 1840, the London Missionary Society transferred all of its activities to the German Rhenish Missionary Society. Some of the first representatives of this organisation were Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt (who arrived in October 1842) and Carl Hugo Hahn (who arrived in December 1842). They began founding churches throughout the territory. The Rhenish missionaries had a significant impact initially on culture and dress, and then later on politics. During the same time that the Rhenish missionaries were active, merchants and farmers were establishing outposts.
Postwar[edit]
After the war, the territory came under the control of Britain which was then formalized through a South African League of Nations mandate which made Union of South Africa responsible for administration.[25] The territory eventually became subject to apartheid under South African rule, as well as becoming involved in the Angolan civil war in 1975.[26] In 1990, the former colony became independent as Namibia, governed by the former liberation movement SWAPO.
German legacy[edit]
Many German names, buildings, and businesses still exist in the country, and about 30,000 people of German descent still live there. German is still widely used in Namibia, with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation operating a German-language radio station and broadcasting television news bulletins in German, while the daily newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung, founded in 1916, remains in publication.[27] Deukom, a satellite television service, offers television and radio channels from Germany.[28]
In addition, Lutheranism is the predominant Christian denomination in present-day Namibia.
Most place names in German South West Africa continued to bear German spellings of the local names, as well as German translations of some local phrases. The few exceptions to the rule included places founded by the Rhenish Missionary Society, generally biblical names, as well as: