Abstract
This chapter examines wartime mobilization of German settlers in Africa with particular reference to the German concept of Heimat . It focuses on the two German Schutzgebiete which had the largest white populations and that experienced the most protracted fighting during the war, German South-West Africa (now Namibia) and German East Africa (now mainly Tanzania). The central thesis of the chapter is that the African context challenged the identity of German colonialists in many ways, and that the war provided them with a means to assert their unity with the German Reich. The chapter also assesses how the war in Africa influenced the settlers expelled from Germany's former colonies after the conflict ended, as well as German society in general. Keywords: First World War; German East Africa; German Schutzgebiete ; Heimat ; South-West Africa
Published Version
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