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The Herero Rebellion

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Founded in just 1871, Germany did not join the rush to Africa to imperialize until 1884, years after the first countries. Taking what it could, Germany succeeded in conquering what is now Ghana, Togo, Cameroon, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Namibia. However, these colonies were short lived. When Germany had begun colonizing, other countries had already made steps towards decolonization With the eruption and conclusion of World War I, Germany lost of all its colonies when the Treaty of Versailles was written. Despite only having colonies for under 50 years, Germany’s colonization of Africa left an impact that can still be seen today, as well as Africa’s impact on Germany. Germany had initially hesitated to join the race for land in Africa …show more content…

This rebellion was caused by the oppression of the Herero people, who reacted to this by starting a revolt against the German leaders. They began by killing people and setting buildings on fire causing Germans to flee to other cities for protection. The violence lasted for about a week but was shut down when the government violently cut down the resistant. In fleeing, “the Herero people were scattered and many of them died of starvation and thirst as they fled through the Omaheke desert,” and “about 12 000 of the remaining Herero were forced to surrender and were placed in concentration camps where medical experiments as well as daily executions took place” (“Herero Revolt 1904-1907”). This event alone caused the death of 80% of the Herero people in Namibia (“Herero Revolt …show more content…

The revolt lasted for two years and resulted in the deaths of 80,000-300,000 (“Facing the Past to Liberate the Future”). This uprising also caused a significant drop in population as a result of European brutality and well demonstrates the violence that African natives faced. While the uprising was unsuccessful, it “forced Kaiser Wilhelm's government in Berlin to institute reforms in their African colonies as they realized the potential cost of their brutality” and became an inspiration for later 20th Century freedom fighters who called for similar interethnic unity as they struggled against European colonial rule” (Beverton). The Maji-Maji and Herero uprisings had a hugely negative impact on African populations and feelings towards the imperialist nations that still remain an important part of Africa (and Germany’s) history

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