Learning to wage and win wars in Africa: a provisional history of German military activity in Congo, Tanzania, China and Namibia

Gewald, J.B. (2005)

Research paper

The central tenets of this paper are that genocide and crimes against humanity are learnt practice, and that the seeds of the genocides that occurred in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 were sown in the Congo in the late 19th century. The paper argues that the violence perpetrated by German officers in the service of the Belgian King Leopold in the Congo Free State was formative for the manner in which German colonial forces came to wage war in Tanzania, Namibia and China. In addition it argues that this violence was qualitatively different there where it could be and was checked by the intervention of civil society. [Book abstract, edited]

• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Tanzania
• Namibia
• Germany
• Belgium
• colonialism
• genocide
• colonial forces

• All authors: Gewald, J.B.
• Date: 2005
• Title of host publication: ASC Working Paper Series
• Issue: 60
• Name: 60