Thursday, March 4, 2010

Maps of Tanzania - Today and During Imperialism



"Eastern Africa as partitioned by the imperial powers, c. 1914." Map. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Library Edition. N.p., 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/230748/German-East-Africa



Tanzania. Map. U.S. Department of State . N.p., Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2843.htm

Tanzania Before Colonization

In order to understand Tanzania’s political, social, and economic situation before colonization, it is important to understand the history behind the two regions that make up modern-day Tanzania.

The United Republic of Tanzania was established in 1964 as a result of the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, both of which had recently gained their independence from British colonial rule. Zanzibar, an island port just off the coast of Tanganyika, had been under British control since 1890. The British had been given the “trusteeship” of Tanganyika by the League of Nations in 1920 after Germany was defeated in World War I. Before the war, from 1894 to 1914, Tanganyika, along with two smaller regions, was controlled by Germany and known as German East Africa.

Zanzibar and the coast of what is now called Tanzania had been in contact with traders from the Persian Gulf since about the 10th century. Persian settlers had intermingled and intermarried with Bantu-speaking Africans, resulting in the Swahili culture and language that still exists in coastal Tanzania. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the coast was controlled intermittently by the Portuguese, who established trading posts, including at Kilwa. At the end of the 17th century, Africans, with the help of Persians from Oman, expelled the Portuguese from most of the Tanzanian coast.2 At first the Omanis exercised mainly “nominal overlordship” in the area, but in about 1800 they took control of Kilwa and then Zanzibar and began administering the area more tightly.3 Zanzibar became an international trading center and the Sultan established diplomatic relations with the US, England and France.4 However, the Omanis’ control was limited to Zanzibar and the coast and focused on making sure trade was directed to them in Zanzibar.5

During the period that the Omanis ruled Zanzibar and the coast, new caravan routes were established, moving goods between the various coastal towns and the East African interior.6 Initially, slave trade dominated, but by about 1850, as slave trading slowed down in response to decreasing demand and anti-slavery activity, trading in other products became more important. These products included ivory for piano keys, billiard balls, jewelry and furniture, and palm oil for making soap, candles, and lubricating oil for machinery. In exchange, Africans acquired cloth, salt and guns.7 The Omanis also established plantations on Zanzibar, using large numbers of slaves to produce cloves for the world market.8

For the most part, the Omanis did not venture into the interior of East Africa. The trade routes from the coast to the interior were controlled by African tribes.9 Therefore, although the coastal area of East Africa was open to overseas travelers, subject to Islamic influence, and controlled by the Omanis until the late 1800s, the interior was almost entirely separate and cut off from outside forces.10 Essentially all of the tribes in the Tanzanian interior were descendents of the Bantus who had moved into the area, with traditional economies based on hunting, farming, and animal herding.11 The tribes formed a variety of different types of communities. There were many small communities which maintained order without rulers, laws or military forces, and instead used customs and family relationships to keep order.12 In the fertile highland areas bordering Lake Nyasa , Lake Tanganyika and the other great lakes, large organized states developed that were ruled by kings but also included other important figures such as queen mothers, heads of clans, and lower-level chiefs who balanced the power of the kings.13
Unlike the coast , which had been introduced to writing by the Persians, the people of the Tanzanian interior did not have a system of writing.14 Therefore, much of the information known about the interior was reported and often misinterpreted by early European explorers such as James Hanning Speke. Speke had traveled to the Lake Nyasa region and met with an important king, King Mutesa of the Buganda. Speke later wrote a book about his travels in which he was very critical of Mutesa and complained about the formalities of Mutesa’s court: “The farce continued, and how to manage these haughty, capricious blacks puzzled my brains considerably.”15 A later explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, also met Mutesa and disagreed with Speke’s criticisms. Stanley wrote that Mutesa was “intelligent in questions and remarks beyond anything I expected to meet in Africa…[T]hat he should have obtained supremacy over a great region into which moneyed soldiers from Cairo and Zanzibar flocked…[was] sufficient to win my favorable judgment.”16 As Stanley’s description made clear, great societies were in existence in the interior of East Africa in the 1800s, most Europeans just didn’t know about them.


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1. “Tanzania.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

2. “Law: Anglophone Eastern Africa.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

3. Iliffe, John. Africans: The History of a Continent. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print. 181.

4. “Law: Anglophone Eastern Africa.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

5. Iliffe, John. Africans: The History of a Continent. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print. 181.

6. "Tanazina." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. Columbia University Press, 2004. Questia Online Library. Web. 27 Feb. 2010. http://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/tanzania.jsp

7. “Africa in the Nineteenth Century, 1780-1914.” DISCovering World History. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. .

8. Iliffe, John. Africans: The History of a Continent. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print. 181.

9. Iliffe. Africans The History of a Continent. 181.

10. Wesseling, H L. Divide and Rule: The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914. Trans. Arnold J Pomerans. Westport: H.L. Wesseling, 1996. Print. 133.

11. "East Africa - An Overview." Africa.Upenn.edu. National Endowment for the Humanities, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/overview.html

12. “Law: Anglophone Eastern Africa.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

13. “Law: Anglophone Eastern Africa.”

14. Griffiths, Ieuan LL. The African Inheritance. New York: Routledge, 1995. Print. 15.

15. Hanning, John Speke. Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 1996. Print. 310.

16. Hugon, Anne. The Exploration of Africa From Cairo to the Cape. New York: Hary N. Abrams, Inc., 1993. Print. 139.

About the Colonial Power

The western power that colonized Tanzania was Germany. At the time, European super powers such as Britain and France began carving up Africa. The new unified country of Germany wanted a piece as well, but could only get a chance at the un-claimed areas of Africa, particularly East Africa.1 After attaining the territory, Germany began cultivating sisal in Tanzania. The sisal cultivating industry was encouraged by the development of a railway that linked the then capital, Dar es Salaam, to Lake Tanganyika. Another railway, linking Tanga to Moshi, allowed the pioneering of coffee-growing. Tanzania also served as a place to cultivate plantation-grown rubber. All in all, the country served as an agricultural producer.

German colonial interests were first advanced in 1884. In 1884, Karl Peters, with Joachin von Pfeil and Karl Juhlke, landed on Tanzania. After several “deals” were made, the chiefs of the area surrendered the territory to the German East Africa Company (of which Karl Peters was member and founder). Peters’ actions were backed by Otto von Bismarck. Later, the Anglo-German Agreement of 1886 divided the area between Britain and Germany, and the southern region became German East Africa.2

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1. "Tanzania History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." The History Channel Home Page. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. http://www.history.com/topics/tanzania

2. "History of TANZANIA." HistoryWorld - History and Timelines. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad23

Ruling Over and Exploiting Tanzania

After much competition with Britain, Germany assumed power in Tanzania, giving the tribes and people “protectorate status.”1 They ruled indirectly, partially because tribal chiefs “created…a system of collaboration by which [they] preserved their own traditional authority and prevented complete German encroachment.”2 But German forces were more focused on stimulating economic activity in Tanzania, through communicating information to the local leaders.3

One industry that developed was the cultivation of sisal – a plant used for producing fiber, such as in ropes or rugs.4 Economic development was further stimulated by the construction of a railway system.5 Germany both took advantage of and encouraged the coffee, rubber, and cotton industries of Tanzania.6 World War I “completely disrupted the administration and economy” of Tanzania, forcing it to revert to “their old social systems and their old form of subsistence farming.”7

Overall, Tanzania as a German colony served as representation of Germany as a rising power, like Britain and France. But under British rule, there was more direct imperial rule over the Tanganyika territory, and native administration and courts were completely reorganized.8


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1.Stolyarov, G., II. "A Short History of German Colonialism in Africa." Associated Content. N.p., 4 June 2007. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/268245/a_short_history_of_german_colonialism.html?cat=37

2. Von Strandmann, H. Pogge. The German Role in Africa and German Imperialism: A Review Article. African Affairs, Vol. 69, No. 277 (Oct., 1970), pp. 381-389. Oxford University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/720216

3. Von Strandmann, H. Pogge.The German Role in Africa and German Imperialism: A Review Article.

4. "Tanzania." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 02 Mar. 2010 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/582817/Tanzania

5.“Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

6. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

7. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

8. "Tanzania." Encyclopædia Britannica.

End of Colonization

The Tanganyika region slowly became more and more independent following World War II. First, the “British government’s [decided] to place Tanganyika under United Nations trusteeship (1947).1 This assigned Britain to assist with political development. The Tanganyika African Association (TAA) elected its first president in 1953, and soon the association became the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) which sought “self-government and independence.”2 TANU, with the help of political allies and supporters helped secure Tanganyika’s independence on Dec. 9 1961, with Julius Nyerere, the initial president of TAA, as its prime minister.3 Almost immediately, Nyerere was replaced by Rashidi Kawawa, choosing instead to focus on broader goals for African unity. The independent Tanganyika became a one-party, republican state in 1962.4 The first threat to the new administration came in 1964, in the form of an army mutiny, and “the president reluctantly sought the assistance of British marines” to suppress it.5 Nyerere served as president for several terms.

Zanzibar became a member of the British Commonwealth in 1963. A republic was declared the following year, after the government was “overthrown by an internal revolution…carried out by 600 armed men.”6 African support of the riot was widespread, as it directly attacked Arabs in Zanzibar. Soon a president, prime minister, and minister for defense and external affairs were established for the People’s Republic of Zanzibar. Policies such as “nationalization of all land” were instituted, and Zanzibar became a single-party state.7

With the strong relationship that had developed over the years, the two regions merged to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. Though they were united, and the republic was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania the same year, “Zanzibar continued to pursue its own policies” for many years.8



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1. Tanzania." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 02 Mar. 2010 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/582817/Tanzania

2. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

3.“Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

4. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

5. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

6. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

7. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

8. “Tanzania.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Daily Life under Imperial Rule

Colonization by the Germans and British of the area now known as Tanzania disrupted the colonized Africans’ traditional ways of life, especially on the mainland.1 For example, when the Germans first took control of the mainland, they created large plantations in the northeast highlands and forced southern and central Tanzanian farmers to move from their traditional tribal areas to work on state plantations growing cotton.2 When the British replaced the Germans, they maintained the same goals of maximizing land and labor, channeling African labor into three roles: small peasant farmer, plantation worker or mine worker.3 Kinship and family ties were disrupted when young men were either forced or chose to take jobs in distant locations, often to pay new taxes or buy new goods made available by the Europeans. Traditional women’s roles were also disrupted. Women left behind in the villages when the men went away to work experienced an enormous increase in the number of hours they had to work in order to provide for their families.4

The colonized Africans also experienced changes in their traditional governing structures. When the mainland was under German rule, there were three different major colonial regime and policy changes in a period of less than 20 years. The poor governance and harsh policies of the first two German regimes resulted in serious rebellions by coalitions of African tribes, who rebelled against new, high taxes imposed upon them and their brutal treatment by the German authorities. The Germans’ “scorched-earth” response to the biggest rebellion, known as the Maji-Maji War, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 250,000 Africans mainly from starvation and disease.5 The British disrupted traditional political structures by trying to bend them to their own uses as part of a policy of “indirect rule.” They relied on local chiefs to administer British policies at a local level, in the process changing the chiefs’ traditional roles. In areas that had traditionally operated as “stateless” societies, the British created chiefs that had not existed before causing resentment and confusion among the tribes people.6

In some ways, life in Tanzania changed less or changed more slowly as a result of colonization than in other parts of Africa because fewer Europeans settled in the region. During the period of German rule, relatively few Germans moved to Tanzania, mainly because colonization was not popular in Germany and Germans doubted the value of colonizing Africa.7 When the British took control after World War I, British settlers were not very attracted to the area because they mistrusted the trusteeship status of the region and chose to go to areas, such as Kenya, which were under clear British authority. In the 1930s, with the re-emergence of Germany as a power, the British also became concerned that Tanzania might have to be returned to the Germans.8 However, even though the pace was slower than in some other parts of Africa, eventually tribal life was changed in Tanzania by the colonists’ changes in the control and use of lands, enforcement of new legal systems, and emphasis on a money economy.9

Throughout the period of European colonization of Tanzania, the relatively few European settlers and administrators fared much better than the indigenous African population. For example, a study of crime in Dar es Salaam, the colonial capital of Tanzania, points out that “[m]ost Europeans and many Indians enjoyed lavish lifestyles in comparison to the impoverished African population.”10 Most Africans subsisted on very small wages and many in the urban areas could only get work from time to time rather than on a regular basis.11 In Zanzibar, British rule did not change the social stratification that had existed for more than a century. The Arab elite (although sometimes in debt to recent immigrants from India) continued at the top of the social and economic pyramid, followed by the Shirazis (descendants of Persian and African intermarriages), and finally the “mainlanders” (consisting of descendants of former slaves and workers from the mainland).12 The weak position of indigenous Africans in comparison to the ruling colonists was also shown in the conflicts that occurred between the colonists and colonized. With their better weapons and better strategic positions, the Europeans invariably won and suffered fewer casualties. Between 1888 and 1902, the Germans who were then in control of the Tanzanian mainland, conducted 84 major military campaigns against the Africans.28 In the Maji-Maji War, only a few Germans died in comparison to the 250,000 Africans who lost their lives.13


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1. “Colonial Policies and Practice: German Policies.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

2. “Tanzania.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

3. “Africa in the Nineteenth Century, 1780-1914.” DISCovering World History. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

4. “Colonial Policies and Practice: German Policies.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

5. “Law: Anglophone Eastern Africa.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

6. “Colonial Policies and Practice: German Policies.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

7. “Colonial Policies and Practice: British Policies.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History

8. “Africa in the Nineteenth Century, 1780-1914.” DISCovering World History. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

9. Burton, Andrew. "The Growh of Crime in a Colonial African Urban Centre: Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika, 1919-1961." Crime, History, & Socities 4.2 (2004): 85-115. Librairie Droz. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. http://chs.revues.org/index465.html

10. Burton. “The Growth of Crime in a Colonial African Urban Centre: Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika, 1919-1961.”

11. “Colonial Policies and Practice: British Policies.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History

12. Wesseling, H L. Divide and Rule: The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914. Trans. Arnold J Pomerans. Westport: H.L. Wesseling, 1996. Print. 169.

13. “Colonial Policies and Practice: German Policies.” Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. 4 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/

Tanzania's History after the End of Colonialism

During World War I, Great Britain blockaded the colony, preventing Tanzania to get help from Germany. Britain continued the advance until they occupied the entire territory.1 Tanganyika later became an independent nation in 1961 after TAMU (Tanganyika African National Union) campaigned perseveringly for sovereignty. A few years later, in 1963, Zanzibar became independent and a year later, in 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to become the United Republic of Tanzania.2

Today, Tanzania is a developing country. Tanzania is in the bottom 10% of the world’s economy in terms of income and relies heavily on agriculture.3 Agriculture provides for the majority of Tanzania’s exports, and employs about 80% of the workforce. Nevertheless, the majority of Tanzania’s population rests below the poverty line, making Tanzania one of the poorest countries in the world. To alleviate some of the country’s economic woes, tourism is an important revenue earner. Attractions include the Serengeti and Mt. Kilimanjaro.4

In addition to economic woes, there are political rifts. The political union between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar has declined as exemplified by Zanzibar’s own government (parliament and president).



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1. "Tanzania History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." The History Channel Home Page. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. http://www.history.com/topics/tanzania

2. "Tanzanian Independence." Lewis & Clark, Portland, Oregon USA. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. http:/legacy.lclark.edu/~peck/EAf-Orient/Tanzania/T-independence.htm

3. "CIA - The World Factbook -- Tanzania." Welcome to the CIA Web Site Central Intelligence Agency. Web.01 Mar. 2010. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tz.html

4. "BBC News - Tanzania country profile." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1072330.stm