German South West Africa

German South West Africa was a German colonial territory in southwestern Africa from 1884 to 1915, encompassing most of present-day Namibia. It was marked by settler dispossession, forced labor, and the genocide of the Herero and Nama.

Berlin Conference: The 1884–1885 conference where European powers set rules for claiming territory in Africa. Its proceedings formalized the international framework for Germany’s colonial claims in the region.
Herero and Nama genocide: The mass killing and destruction of Herero and Nama communities by German colonial forces between 1904 and 1908. It was the colony’s defining atrocity and is widely recognized as a genocide.
Curt von François: A German military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of German South West Africa. His administration expanded military control and established Windhoek as a colonial center.
South African occupation of German South West Africa: South Africa’s military occupation of the former German colony, beginning during the First World War in 1915. It ended German rule and began decades of South African administration.
Adolf Lüderitz: A German merchant whose land purchases and agreements helped establish Germany’s claim to territory in southwestern Africa. His 1883 purchase at Angra Pequena preceded German protection of the colony.
Battle of Waterberg: The 1904 battle in which German forces attacked Herero fighters and civilians in central German South West Africa. The battle drove many Herero into the Omaheke desert, where German forces blocked escape routes.
Lothar von Trotha: A German general who commanded colonial forces during the Herero and Nama uprisings. His extermination order against the Herero made military repression explicitly genocidal.
Namibia: A country in southwestern Africa that became independent in 1990. Modern Namibia occupies most of the former German colonial territory.
German colonial empire: Germany’s overseas territories and possessions, governed as an empire from the 1880s until the First World War. The territory was one of Germany’s largest and most strategically significant African colonies.
Shark Island concentration camp: A German colonial concentration camp on Shark Island where prisoners, especially Nama, suffered forced labor, exposure, and disease. The camp exemplified the lethal conditions imposed on colonial prisoners after the uprising.

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