A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...
A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...
A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...
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101<br />
Though law played an important role, it was through the military extension of<br />
<strong>German</strong> power that control was cemented. 121 In the historical course of <strong>German</strong>y’s<br />
colonial rule, numerous punitive raids and battles served to coerce local populations. 122<br />
The frequency of these actions and the importance of military force in Africa indicate<br />
how colonial rule flowed often not from the K-A or RKA but from the Schutztruppe. 123<br />
Also indicative of the highly militaristic character of <strong>German</strong> colonial expansion was the<br />
<strong>German</strong> willingness to rely upon military solutions to colonial problems. This is linked<br />
by Pascal Grosse and Weikart to the prevalence of “scientific racism” and Social<br />
Darwinist thinking in contemporary <strong>German</strong>y. 124 The combination of militarism and<br />
racism is reflected in such policy statements such as the Kaiser’s 1900 “Hun Speech” in<br />
which he ordered the army to fight with no quarter in the colonies: “Pardon wird nicht<br />
gegeben, Gefangene nicht gemacht.” 125 The power of the Schutztruppe has led historians<br />
to connect it with an especially <strong>German</strong> brutality. 126 Yet, the frequent public criticisms of<br />
colonial barbarity and the later colonial reforms cast great doubt on the notion of a<br />
uniquely <strong>German</strong>ic propensity to cruelty.<br />
The extension of <strong>German</strong> power through military force can also be connected to<br />
the prevalence of economics in the colonies. One of the major reasons for maintaining a<br />
colonial army was that is was deemed necessary to assure the safety of <strong>German</strong><br />
commercial interests. 127 These forces were also often called upon by both settlers and<br />
traders for protection against the encroachments of foreigners and natives. 128 This is not<br />
surprising, for earlier discussions have proven how exploitative business practice was a<br />
major reason for attacks upon <strong>German</strong>s. 129 For this reason, larger concerns like the