A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...

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