100 years since the end of German colonial rule in Namibia, the relationship between the former colonial power and the Namibian communities who were affected by its brutal colonial policies remains problematic, and interpretations of the past are still contested. This book examines the ongoing debates, conflicts and confrontations over the past. It scrutinises the consequences of German colonial rule, its impact on the descendants of victims of the 1904–08 genocide, Germany’s historical responsibility, and ways in which post-colonial reconciliation might be achieved.

100 years since the end of German colonial rule in Namibia, the relationship between the former colonial power and the Namibian communities who were affected by its brutal colonial policies remains problematic, and interpretations of the past are still contested. This book examines the ongoing debates, conflicts and confrontations over the past. It scrutinises the consequences of German colonial rule, its impact on the descendants of victims of the 190408 genocide, Germanys historical responsibility, and ways in which post-colonial reconciliation might be achieved.

At the beginning of 1977, several members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council prepared a joint diplomatic initiative to resolve the deadlock over South Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia. In this book, Hans-Joachim Vergau, a key participant in the ensuing negotiations, analyses the multifaceted political and diplomatic developments - as well as dramatic setbacks - that followed the initiative. "This book provides a precise view of the long diplomatic struggle to achieve Namibia's independence through UN activities from the perspective of one of Germany's most influential diplomats. Hans-Joachim Vergau's commitment to the cause of independence bridged dangerous periods, including those during which Western powers and even his superiors did not apply the necessary pressure on South Africa. They prevaricated, until the apartheid regime started to crumble." Prof. Dr. Helmut Bley, University of Hannover

Williams traces the South West Africa People's Organization of Namibia across three decades in exile in Tanzania, Zambia, and Angola.

This is the first paperback edition of a book which originally appeared under the title "South-West Africa Under German Rule", and appears with a new introduction by the author. The history of Namibia offers many parallels to developments in other European colonies. The settlers, with a greater or lesser use of force, established themselves in the country and their confrontation with the African population often culminated in rebellion in the area of major settlement; a European settler community would then consolidate itself over the ruins left by military conquest. The pattern was repeated in Namibia during the Nama and Herero wars. Helmut Bley shows how the roots of German totalitarianism stem from the colonial period. He provides a picture of how social insecurity, bureaucracy and rigid economic thinking produced the racialism and the extremism of the last years of German rule. The abuse of the Africans provided the roots of the abuse of the Jews.

Although it lasted only thirty years, German colonial rule dramatically transformed South West Africa. The colonial government not only committed the first genocide of the twentieth century against the Herero and Nama, but in their efforts to establish a “model colony” and “racial state,” they brought about even more destructive and long-lasting consequences. In this now-classic study—available here for the first time in English—the author provides an indispensable account of Germany's colonial utopia in what is present-day Namibia, showing how the highly rationalized planning of Wilhelmine authorities ultimately failed even as it added to the profound immiseration of the African population.