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


_____________________
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.