The Herero war - the first genocide of the 20th century? (PDF)

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2006 in the subject History Europe - Germany - 1848, Empire, Imperialism, grade: 1, Charles University in Prague, language: English, abstract: In my thesis I examine German colonial policies in South West Africa towards the natives from their first engagement in the area in 1883 up to the end of the Herero war in 1907. Primarily, I try to establish if they were genocidal.
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My thesis is divided into three major parts. The first two describe and characterize the German policies towards the natives of South West Africa and their mutual relationship, prior to the Herero war and during it respectively. The third is concerned with definitions of genocide and relevance for its aplication on the Herero war.
In the first chapter I shortly portray South West Africa prior to European colonisation and then turn my attention to German - steady and gradual - conquest of the country. Special consideration is given to German perceptions of the natives, to their use of the natives for their own cause and to their treatment of the indigenous population. Finally the most important aspects of development of the colony under German rule are presented.
The next chapter of the thesis deals with the events of the Herero war. Analysis of the main causes of the uprising is followed by the description of the course of war. This one is purposefully not very detailed, and only events relevant for our cause are mentioned. Much more attention is given to German changing policies during the war and to the differing arguments behind these policies, with special focus on Lothar von Trotha's reasoning. The Nama uprising is mentioned briefly as well. At the end results of the war and its influence mainly on the native population are characterized.
I deal with the concept of genocide in the final part of this paper. I offer three different definitions and apply them one by one, on the events in Gernam South West Africa at the beginning of the 20th century. I analyze if any, some, or all definitions are valid and could be used to describe these events.
The crucial question of this thesis is whether German policies in South West Africa regarding the native population, especially the Herero could be described as genocidal.