Watch those Germans!!!!!

Gill

I was having trouble sleeping the other night and switched the TV on to BBC 2. There was a programme on about the SW region of Africa and a country called Namibia. Early in the 20th Century Namibia was under the control of the German colonialists. The Germans were rather keen on getting more land for themselves as there were a couple of large tribes of black peoples living in Namibia. Anyway, they decided to pick on one particular tribe to start with. They captured them and put them into slavery, building railways etc. The records showed that half of the slaves given to the rail road company died each year because of how badly they were fed and treated. Others they transported, Yes, transported, to Shark Island which was a huge concentration camp, Yes 'Concentration Camp' was what it was called, and they were gradually murdered. Medical experiments were carried out on the inmates and measurements taken of their heads and brains to 'prove' they were of a lesser race and not as 'good as' the Aryan race!

Thousands of bodies lie buried in mounds and these mounds can be seen from the air.

When they had finished with the first tribe they started on the next tribe, known to the Germans as the Hotentots.

This was going on up until at least 1909.

There is nothing new under the sun. Hitler was not the first and did not come up with this ideas of his own volition.

The words 'transports' and 'concentration camp' and 'Aryan superiority' did not belong to Hitler's immagination, the Germans had orchestrated these horrific atrocities before. Perhaps because these poor people were black, we did not find out about their fate until recently, or perhaps because the story just got lost in the mists of time, after all, in 1914 WW 1 did break out.

But, I used to think, even though I was an excellent A student at History that it was irrelevant subject. I'm beginning to think that it may be one of the most important subjects in the world of academia.

Watch those Germans!!!

the_classicist

Others they transported, Yes, transported, to Shark Island which was a huge concentration camp, Yes 'Concentration Camp' was what it was called, and they were gradually murdered.

From wikipedia:

The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. defines concentration camp as:
a camp where non-combatants of a district are accommodated, such as those instituted by Lord Kitchener during the South African war of 1899-1902; one for the internment of political prisoners, foreign nationals, etc., esp. as organized by the Nazi regime in Germany before and during the war of 1939-45

*cough* Long Kesh *cough*

Gill

Absolutely true and undeniable Classicist.

However, and also true of the british in other parts of the world. However, the only difference, and not in any way mitigating the atrocities committed by British, American, French, Japanes soldiers, is the organized manner and the excuse for the camps and exterminations - that these people, be it the Hotentots, or the Jews, Gypsies etck, were a sub human group not up to the Aryan standard. The medical experimentation, the studious works on trying to prove that their brains were inferior, just showed an extra twisted reasoning and an attempt at excusing atrocities with scientific reasoning.

I agree with you, that ALL the atrocities at any camps were inexcusable, but few if any tried to explain it away as if they were just eliminating vermin.

the_classicist

Absolutely true and undeniable Classicist.
However, and also true of the british in other parts of the world. However, the only difference, and not in any way mitigating the atrocities committed by British, American, French, Japanes soldiers, is the organized manner and the excuse for the camps and exterminations - that these people, be it the Hotentots, or the Jews, Gypsies etck, were a sub human group not up to the Aryan standard. The medical experimentation, the studious works on trying to prove that their brains were inferior, just showed an extra twisted reasoning and an attempt at excusing atrocities with scientific reasoning.
I agree with you, that ALL the atrocities at any camps were inexcusable, but few if any tried to explain it away as if they were just eliminating vermin.

Yeah, there were even concentration camps in Canada and the USA. The problem is that the usage of Concentration Camp has changed to mean something related to the holocaust in Germany. Intrestingly enough, Germany was one of the scientific pioneers in synthetics b/c they couldn't conquer enough countries in order to get all the resources Germany needed (kind of like the situation today with China: growing economy and rapid industrialization; but the Chinese are buying up companies abroad instead). The old Kingdom Hall that I used to go to was a Shinto temple at one time, but after all the Japanese in Canada were put in concentration camps, they confiscated all their property and sold it all off. Although, from what we have seen throughout history, the Germans have been the forerunner of the whole 'race superiority' thing.

hmike

Being half-German myself, I have to wonder. Some of the best AND worst in history came from there.

avishai

Although, from what we have seen throughout history, the Germans have been the forerunner of the whole 'race superiority' thing.

Considering that Germany has really only been a country since 1871, what do you mean by "throughout history?"

The Russians Killed a shitload of my ancestors/relatives too. Germany has NO corner on "racial superiority." If people think that we're doomed to keep on doing the same thing, over and over.

DannyBloem

Namibia, is a poor, dry country. When I was there (I had to work there a few months), I was as if time had stopped.
A lot of very old fashioned german songs were played, that maybe were once popular in the 30's and 40's. Still a lot of germans there, mostly older. Some of them still giving each other the hitler greeting. Scary place in some ways.
Still a lot of racial differences and especially the thinking of inequality. More is some parts of the country, then others. Totally different then germany itself, by the way. The modern germans are far from the ideals that many/some of them once shared. Danny

googlemagoogle

Some of them still giving each other the hitler greeting.

do they raise their right arm and say "heil hitler" or do they simply say "heil"? because "heil" is very common and not really connected to the hitler greeting (anymore).

"racial superiority" regarding other "races" and jews is a christian thing, not a german paradigm. ALL christian colonialist countries had black slaves and thought themselves superior to them. they could prove it with the bible. and ALL christian countries had huge problems with antisemitism.

but "racial superiority" aint that "new" either. just think about bible "history".

PopeOfEruke

Can't beat the German beer though!

And let's start up with the white Australians exterminating the Aborigines - they used to poison the waterholes so when the Aborigine families came to drink they would all be poisoned.

We belong unfortunately to a shocking species.....

Pope

DannyBloem

Some of them still giving each other the hitler greeting.

do they raise their right arm and say "heil hitler" or do they simply say "heil"? because "heil" is very common and not really connected to the hitler greeting (anymore).

No rasing the right arm. I do not exactly remember what they said.
For me this typical raising of the arm stretched, is interprated in this way. Sometimes on a provoking manner. This together with the way they spoke about the colored people there, give me some reason to think not everything was okay there.....

This was a minority of the white people there of course, not generalising.

Danny

Watch those Germans!!!!!

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