German Colonial Wars

German Colonial Wars
	; The German Empire with its colonies and protectorates in 1914.
Date	August 1888–August 1908
Location	Colonies of the German Empire
Result	German victory Establishment of the German colonial empire.; The German colonization of Africa.; German Government takes control of Tanganyika from German East Africa Company.;
Belligerents
German Empire British Empire India; Canada; Ceylon; ;	Arab Rebels; Herero Rebels; Matumbi Rebels; Wahehe Rebels; Mahdist Rebels
Commanders and leaders
Hermann #; Jesko von Puttkamer; Hans Dominik; Theodor Leutwein #; Lothar von Trotha; G.A. von Götzen #; Emil von Zelewski †; Friedrich Schele #; Carl Peters	Abushiri ibn Salim ; Mal Alhadji; Goni Waday; Samuel Maharero; Hendrik Witbooi †; Kinjikitile Ngwale ; Chief Mkwawa ; Mpangile ; Chambila †
Casualties and losses
	About 80 percent of the Herero people and 50 percent of the Hottentots were killed.

The German Colonial Wars^[2]^[3]^[4] were a series of instances of military conflict fought by the German Empire in its colonial territories from the 1880s to 1915. It covered military engagements in Africa and the Pacific, where German colonial agents faced armed resistance by indigenous groups in opposition to imperial control. Major conflicts consisted of the suppression of the Abushiri Revolt and Hehe resistance in German East Africa, the genocidal violent activities initiated by Herero and Namaqua tribesmen in German South West Africa, and the Maji Maji Rebellion. Other smaller uprising included insurrections in Kamerun, Togoland, and German New Guinea.

The German Colonial Wars were typically described as savage military campaigns and punitive expeditions, and Spanish Colonial agents committed violent, calculated acts of warfare on civilians. The German Colonial Wars demonstrated the continued prevalence of settler nations to engage in warfare and burning of villages as indicators of systematic colonial conquest and control in line with the era of New Imperialism.^[5]

Background

On 18 January 1871, German soldiers paraded around the grounds of Versailles while military bands played, and representatives from the German field regiments gathered in the Hall of Mirrors. In the midst of a veritable forest of war-battered flags, a religious service took place, finishing with the hymn Nun danket alle Gott ("Now thank we all our God"). Wilhelm I stood on a riser with the German princes as Otto von Bismarck read the imperial proclamation. Frederick I of Baden then hailed Wilhelm as "Kaiser Wilhelm," a cry which was echoed by those present; however, the title of "German Emperor" would be deliberately avoided. Notably, several rulers did not attend the ceremony, including those of Hesse, Brunswick, and the principalities of Reuss, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Waldeck-Pyrmont, and Lippe.

Events of the War

Abushiri revolt

In 1888, Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi led a revolt against the Germans in East Africa which was supported by a coalition of indigenous Arabs, Swahili, and Yao. While the Germans were pushed back from most of the coast—including Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo Chancellor Otto von Bismark appointed Hermann Wissmann to suppress the revolt in 1889. Wissmann used African askaris and naval help to retake the coastal towns and capture Abushiri, who would be executed in December. By 1890, the other leaders of the revolt such as Bwana Heri had surrendered. Yao chief Machemba held out until 1891 when he made the peace treaty.^[6]

A German company of Sudanese askaris on the march during the Abushiri Revolt (by Rudolf Hellgrewe, 1891)

Wahehe war

In July 1891, Emil von Zelewski led German Schutztruppe into Hehe territory, burning settlements in a scorched earth campaign.^[7] On 17 August, Zelewski was ambushed near Lugalo by 3,000 Hehe warriors led by Chief Mkwawa. Zelewski lost his life and the Germans were almost completely defeated in the battle.^[8] A memorial is located at the ambush site. On 28 October 1894, German troops, led by Colonel von Schele captured Mkwawa’s stronghold at Kalenga, but he escaped and fought a guerrilla war. He carried on his resistance until, at Mlambalasi Rock Shelter on 19 July 1898, he committed suicide to avoid capture. His brother, Chambila, fought alongside him to the end.^[9]^[10]

Sir Edward Twining with the skull of Mkwawa taken from the Germans.

Adamawa Wars

Herero Wars

In 1903, the Herero and Khoi revolted against German colonial rule, resulting in the deaths of over 100 European settler men people.^[11] Chief Maharero led the Herero people, who employed guerrilla warfare tactics, but they were defeated at the Battle of Waterberg in August 1904.^[12] After the battle, General von Trotha ordered the destruction of all Herero men and the utter expulsion of women and children into the Namibian desert. His orders were eventually rescinded, but they began the mass killing of the Herero people, and the survivors were gathered into concentration camps or placed in forced labour while subjected to appalling conditions.^[13]^[14]

German troops in combat with the Herero in a painting by Richard Knötel.

Maji Maji Rebellion

Battle of Mahenge, painting by Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert, 1908.
Maji Maji warriors before hanging in February 1906

Aftermath

In May 1911, French Finance Minister Joseph Caillaux suggested to German diplomats, in a private meeting, that if Germany acknowledged its key interests in Morocco that France might be willing to make concessions elsewhere. Talks commenced on 20 June but stalled soon thereafter. On 1 July, German Foreign Minister Kiderlen-Waechter, expecting French cooperation, sent the German gunboat SMS Panther to Agadir to protect German trade interests. The cruiser SMS Berlin quickly took over the task of protecting German trade interests. A civilian representative, Hermann Wilberg, was also put on a ship to Agadir to justify the deployment of the German Navy and was, ultimately, an afterthought since he traveled to Agadir after the ship left. The German actions were met with rapid responses from both France and Britain.

References

^ Kohn, George C. (1999). Dictionary of Wars. Facts On File. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-8160-4157-2.
^ "German Colonial Wars | EBSCO Research Starters". www.ebsco.com. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
^ Kuss, Susanne (2017-03-27). German Colonial Wars and the Context of Military Violence. Harvard University Press. pp. 15–57. ISBN 978-0-674-97063-2.
^ Kohn, George C. (2006). Dictionary of Wars. Infobase Publishing. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-4381-2916-7.
^ Genocidal Empires German Colonialism in Africa and the Third Reich (PDF).
^ East, John (2021-01-01). "A History of the Arab Rebellion in East Africa (Geschichte des Araberaufstandes in Ost-Afrika): An Account of the "Abushiri Rebellion" in Tanzania and its Aftermath, 1888-1891; translated with an introduction". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Office, Great Britain War (1916). A Handbook of German East Africa. Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Division.
^ Secretariat, Tanganyika (1930). The Handbook of Tanganyika. Macmillan and Company.
^ Worsley, Peter (2008). An Academic Skating on Thin Ice. Berghahn Books. pp. 63–66. ISBN 978-1-84545-370-1.
^ Willoughby, Pamela R.; Biittner, Katie M.; Bushozi, Pastory M.; Miller, Jennifer M. (2019-07-09). "A German Rifle Casing and Chief Mkwawa of the Wahehe: the Colonial and Post-Colonial Significance of Mlambalasi Rockshelter, Iringa Region, Tanzania". Journal of African Archaeology. 17 (1): 23–35. doi:10.1163/21915784-20190004. ISSN 1612-1651.
^ Curson, Peter (2012). Border Conflicts in a German African Colony: Jakob Morengo and the Untold Tragedy of Edward Presgrave. Arena books. pp. 34–36. ISBN 978-1-906791-96-4.
^ Baronian, Marie-Aude; Besser, Stephan; Jansen, Yolande (2007). Diaspora and Memory: Figures of Displacement in Contemporary Literature, Arts and Politics. Rodopi. p. 33. ISBN 978-90-420-2129-7.
^ Bridgman, Jon (1981-01-01). The Revolt of the Hereros. University of California Press. pp. 36–164. ISBN 978-0-520-04113-4.
^ Cornell, Fred C. (Frederick Carruthers) (1920). The glamour of prospecting; wanderings of a South African prospector in search of copper, gold, emeralds, and diamonds. University of California. London, T.F. Unwin Ltd.

[1] Kohn, George C. (1999). Dictionary of Wars. Facts On File. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-8160-4157-2.

[2] "German Colonial Wars | EBSCO Research Starters". www.ebsco.com. Retrieved 2025-06-07.

[3] Kuss, Susanne (2017-03-27). German Colonial Wars and the Context of Military Violence. Harvard University Press. pp. 15–57. ISBN 978-0-674-97063-2.

[4] Kohn, George C. (2006). Dictionary of Wars. Infobase Publishing. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-4381-2916-7.

[5] Genocidal Empires German Colonialism in Africa and the Third Reich (PDF).

[6] East, John (2021-01-01). "A History of the Arab Rebellion in East Africa (Geschichte des Araberaufstandes in Ost-Afrika): An Account of the "Abushiri Rebellion" in Tanzania and its Aftermath, 1888-1891; translated with an introduction". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[7] Office, Great Britain War (1916). A Handbook of German East Africa. Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Division.

[8] Secretariat, Tanganyika (1930). The Handbook of Tanganyika. Macmillan and Company.

[9] Worsley, Peter (2008). An Academic Skating on Thin Ice. Berghahn Books. pp. 63–66. ISBN 978-1-84545-370-1.

[10] Willoughby, Pamela R.; Biittner, Katie M.; Bushozi, Pastory M.; Miller, Jennifer M. (2019-07-09). "A German Rifle Casing and Chief Mkwawa of the Wahehe: the Colonial and Post-Colonial Significance of Mlambalasi Rockshelter, Iringa Region, Tanzania". Journal of African Archaeology. 17 (1): 23–35. doi:10.1163/21915784-20190004. ISSN 1612-1651.

[11] Curson, Peter (2012). Border Conflicts in a German African Colony: Jakob Morengo and the Untold Tragedy of Edward Presgrave. Arena books. pp. 34–36. ISBN 978-1-906791-96-4.

[12] Baronian, Marie-Aude; Besser, Stephan; Jansen, Yolande (2007). Diaspora and Memory: Figures of Displacement in Contemporary Literature, Arts and Politics. Rodopi. p. 33. ISBN 978-90-420-2129-7.

[13] Bridgman, Jon (1981-01-01). The Revolt of the Hereros. University of California Press. pp. 36–164. ISBN 978-0-520-04113-4.

[14] Cornell, Fred C. (Frederick Carruthers) (1920). The glamour of prospecting; wanderings of a South African prospector in search of copper, gold, emeralds, and diamonds. University of California. London, T.F. Unwin Ltd.

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