XXᵉ siècle – XXᵉ siècle
South West Africa (present-day Namibia)
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
South West Africa was administered by South Africa under a League of Nations mandate after the First World War. During 1915–1946, the administration consolidated white settler domination, restricted African political and social rights, managed conflict between German and Afrikaner settlers, and increasingly integrated the territory into South African structures. The period ended with South Africa’s failed attempt to secure international acceptance of incorporation and the emergence of more coordinated resistance.
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Le récit
After the First World War, South Africa governed South West Africa under an international mandate while attempting to consolidate a white settler order. The administration promoted white settlement, used African labour to extract resources, and restricted access to political, social, and economic institutions. Ethnic identities were not simply colonial inventions, but boundaries among communities remained fluid and sometimes shifted considerably during the inter-war years.
Relations between German-speaking settlers and incoming South Africans were marked by disputes over education, political influence, and the future of the territory. The London Agreement of 1923 helped accommodate the two communities, while the South West Africa Constitution Act of 1925 established a limited Legislative Assembly whose powers remained subordinate to the Administrator and to authorities in Cape Town. South Africa moved toward de facto annexation, including the transfer of the Neutral Zone on the Angola–Namibia border to Portugal in 1926 and the display of South African sovereignty symbols in the territory.
The rise of Nazism intensified political tensions. Nazi officials and organisations operated in Namibia, while the administration responded by banning Nazi propaganda in 1933 and outlawing the Hitler Youth and Nazi Party the following year. During the Second World War, suspected German sympathisers were interned in South Africa, and approximately 5,000 African men were recruited into the South African Native Military Corps between 1941 and 1943. By January 1945, all black Namibian soldiers had been discharged.
The decisive crisis came after the war. South Africa pursued incorporation of South West Africa despite the United Nations’ refusal in December 1946 to accept the territory as a fifth South African province. The 1946 referendum was conducted through meetings of chiefs and headmen rather than individual voting, and its legitimacy was strongly challenged by African leaders. Opposition led by Hosea Kutako and the Herero Chief’s Council helped establish a new international presence for Namibian resistance.
XXᵉ siècle – XXᵉ siècle
South West Africa (present-day Namibia)
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
South West Africa was administered by South Africa under a League of Nations mandate after the First World War. During 1915–1946, the administration consolidated white settler domination, restricted African political and social rights, managed conflict between German and Afrikaner settlers, and increasingly integrated the territory into South African structures. The period ended with South Africa’s failed attempt to secure international acceptance of incorporation and the emergence of more coordinated resistance.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
After the First World War, South Africa governed South West Africa under an international mandate while attempting to consolidate a white settler order. The administration promoted white settlement, used African labour to extract resources, and restricted access to political, social, and economic institutions. Ethnic identities were not simply colonial inventions, but boundaries among communities remained fluid and sometimes shifted considerably during the inter-war years.
Relations between German-speaking settlers and incoming South Africans were marked by disputes over education, political influence, and the future of the territory. The London Agreement of 1923 helped accommodate the two communities, while the South West Africa Constitution Act of 1925 established a limited Legislative Assembly whose powers remained subordinate to the Administrator and to authorities in Cape Town. South Africa moved toward de facto annexation, including the transfer of the Neutral Zone on the Angola–Namibia border to Portugal in 1926 and the display of South African sovereignty symbols in the territory.
The rise of Nazism intensified political tensions. Nazi officials and organisations operated in Namibia, while the administration responded by banning Nazi propaganda in 1933 and outlawing the Hitler Youth and Nazi Party the following year. During the Second World War, suspected German sympathisers were interned in South Africa, and approximately 5,000 African men were recruited into the South African Native Military Corps between 1941 and 1943. By January 1945, all black Namibian soldiers had been discharged.
The decisive crisis came after the war. South Africa pursued incorporation of South West Africa despite the United Nations’ refusal in December 1946 to accept the territory as a fifth South African province. The 1946 referendum was conducted through meetings of chiefs and headmen rather than individual voting, and its legitimacy was strongly challenged by African leaders. Opposition led by Hosea Kutako and the Herero Chief’s Council helped establish a new international presence for Namibian resistance.
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