Mittelafrika
From Kaiserreich
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| Motto Gott mit Uns (God with us) | ||||
| Anthem Südwesterlied | ||||
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| Official Language | German | |||
| Capital | Dar-es-Salaam | |||
| Head of State | Hermann Göring | |||
| Head of Government | Erich Schultz-Ewerth | |||
| Establishment - Proclaimation of the Freistaat Mittelafrika | November, 2 1925 | |||
| Government | Autonomous colonial free state under authority of the German Empire | |||
| Currency | German Central African rupie | |||
| Area | More than 5 million km² | |||
| Population | Around 52 million | |||
Mittelafrika, or officially Freistaat Mittelafrika (German for Free State of Central Africa)is a country in Africa. It is bordered to the north by the territory controlled by the French government in exile, Egypt-Sudan and Abyssinia; to the east by the Indian Ocean and the Portuguese colony of Mozambique; to the south by South Africa; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, the Portuguese colony of Angola and the Spanish colony of Equatorial Guinea.
Freistaat Mittelafrika is an autonomous colonial free state, reuniting colonies that belonged prior to the Weltkrieg to the colonial empires of Germany, Britain, France and Belgium, which were granted a status of autonomy by the Kaiser Wilhelm II and Reichskanzler Alfred von Tirpitz on November, 2 1925. The dominant state in Africa is still bound to the German Empire by a military and economic subordination.
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History
German entry in the Scramble for Africa
Even if the unification of Germany arrived just before the Scramble for Africa reached his peak, then German Reichskanzler Otto von Bismarck didn't engaged his country into a colonialist perspective. Many reasons can explain such a choice: the need to concentrate on the completion of German unity, a tradition of German expansion and trade in Eastern Europe and North Sea, and also Realpolitik statements: Bismarck indeed believed that letting the French continue their colonial expansion would divert them from the Alsace-Lorraine question and European matters, even if he managed to obtain some reserved areas to Germany during the 1885 Berlin Conference. Such considerations came to an end with the accession of Kaiser Wilhelm II, whose Weltpolitik policy supposed the entertaining of a High Seas Fleet along with prestigious Pacific and African territories. But by 1890, most of the available lands in Africa had been already overtaken by British, French, Belgian and Italian settlers, and the German colonization was increased in rather inhospitable areas such as German South West and East Africas, Kamerun and Togoland, which were regularly strained by tribal revolts, such as the Hereros in South West Africa or the Hehes and Maji Majis in East Africa.
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The concept of Mittelafrika appeared in the beginning of German Weltpolitik in the 1890s, when German imperialists wanted to expand their territory and to link the colonies already owned by Germany by annexing the region between them: it was impeached by the British colonization of Rhodesia, as the British were fearing that the Germans could break their Cairo-Cape line of communication, and Portugal, Britain's ally, repeatedly refused to secede their colonies of Angola and Mozambique to Germany. Thus the geostrategic concept of Mittelafrika was created, proposing a German domination on Central and Eastern Africa, stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, ensuring German economic self-sufficiency through the exploitation of natural resources, which were already abundant in Belgian Congo alone.
The Mittelafrikaprojekt
German historians revealed that on September, 9 1914, when Reichskanzler Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg secretly defined the war aims of the German Empire in the Weltkrieg, that then Secretary of the German Colonial Office Wilhelm Solf considered to materialize Mittelafrika after the war, by annexing Belgian Congo after Belgium would be annexed or puppeted by the German Empire, forcing the British Empire to withdraw from its holdings in Central Africa. During the Weltkrieg, the German colonies were quickly overwhelmed: fighting in Togoland was over by the end of August 1914, South-West Africa surrendered by July 1915, Kamerun was fully occupied in February 1916, while Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck opposed a harsh resistance in Eastern Africa during the whole Weltkrieg.
1921 Peace with Honour however acknowledged the colonial gains of Germany: as Belgium was recognized to be in the German sphere of influence, Belgian Congo was given to Germany, while the Caprivi Strip was extended at the expense of Rhodesia, such as most of French Equatorial Africa and Dahomey, which were granted by the French government in exile as an effective recognition of their defeat during the war. As a reward, von Lettow-Vorbeck was named governor of the new colony of Kongo. Having in charge the pacification of its huge demesne, von Lettow-Vorbeck began to act as an almighty lord, thus unofficially enabling the autonomous status of Mittelafrika. In 1925, taking advantage of the dismemberment of the British Empire, he ordered the invasion of British Uganda, Nigeria and Gold Coast. As most of British personnel in Africa was moving to Canada or to National France, they couldn't react. In exchange of the recongition of the German borders in Rhodesia, the German Empire officially recognized the newly independant South African Union. Along with the occupied territories in China, Africa was the richest and biggest part of the German colonial empire.
Official establishment
Reichskanzler Alfred von Tirpitz ordered a report about Mittelafrika's situations, and it confirmed what he has feared: it was a financial black hole for German economy. Too overstretched, strained with Native revolts, needing too many infrastructure and economic improvements, German Africa would soon become a dead weight as spending for military and administration entertaining would by far exceed the income from mining and economic exploitation. As under Lettow-Vorbeck's administration, Mittelafrika had set up its own government and army, the Reichskanzler decided to recognize this actual fact: on November, 2 1925, by decree, the Kaiser Wilhelm II established the Freistaat Mittelafrika, a semi-autonomous colonial territory under its nominal authority.
The first Statthalter was the war hero von Lettow-Vorbeck, who had been promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall, assisted by Wilhelm Solf, the mastermind behind the establishment of Mittelafrika. However, if the military and managing expenses were left to the control of the present administration, it didn't solved at all the economic matters: due to corruption and difficulties, Mittelafrika couldn't afford the monthly tribute it had to give to Germany, while the works literally sucked German money and even manpower, as military personnel and colonial administrators had to be sent from the home country, due to the lack of a true elite in Mittelafrika. The country was also continually plagued by sporadic Native revolts, Native tribes as African intellectuals inspired by Socialism. After Wilhelm Solf decided to retire to German Samoa and Lettow-Vorbeck to return to Germany to pursue a political career, the German government named national-populist politician Hermann Göring as the new Statthalter, as his father was one of the first governors of German South-West Africa, in 1934. Even if he put an end to the revolts by granting the position of Secretary for Security Issues to Nduala Prince Alexander Duala Manga Bell, a first in German colonial history, Göring expressed his vows to further expand the Mittelafrikan territory, giving a setback to its relations with Portugal, National France and even the German-sponsored Abyssinia. If Mittelafrika is by now the hegemonic power in Africa, will it really having an economic and strategic interest in near future, finishing to include the whole Dark Continent or finally being transformed into Göring's own power base?
Politics
The Freistaat Mittelafrika is officially dubbed as an "autonomous colonial free state under authority of the German Empire", meaning that if it's officially still part of the German colonial empire, under the Kaiser Wilhelm II's nominal authority, but it is considered as a semi-autonomous entity. If Germany undertakes every diplomatic and military issues, Mittelafrika has full control over its own economic, internal and budgetary issues. The few obligations that the Freistaat has towards Germany are delivery of a monthly tribute (in money and valuable resources), handling of military control if the German interests need it, and faithfulness to the Kaiser. Mittelafrika takes in charge the maintenance of its own army, infrastructure and exploitations. The governor of the Freistaat Mittelafrika is the Statthalter (Steward), designated by the Kaiser whose choice is ratified by the Reichstag, effectively appointed for life but in fact until he resigns or is removed by the German government in Berlin. The members of his government all came from the German colonial administration, civilian or military: except for special ones (such as Secretary for Relations with Germany), Germany doesn't discuss the nominations made by the Statthalter.
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Statthalter: Hermann Göring (born 12 January 1893)
Vice-Staathalter: Erich Schultz-Ewerth (born 8 March 1870)
Secretary for Relations with Germany: Joachim von Ribbentrop (born 30 April 1893)
Secretary for Economic Exploitation: August Stauch (born 15 January 1878)
Secretary for Security Issues: Prince Alexander Duala Manga Bell (born 3 December 1893)
Head of the local branch of the Abwehr: Colonel Theodore von Hippel
Chief of General Staff of the Colonial Army: Colonel Ernst Jünger (born 29 March 1895)
Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Schutztruppe: Hermann Detzner (born 16 October 1882)
Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial Navy: Max von Looff
Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial Air Force: Paul Graetz (born 25 July 1885)
Military
The little Colonial Army of Mittelafrika permits it to assert their own hegemony on the Dark Continent and their relative independance from Germany. Even if they consist only in a few regiments or brigades of mixed white and coloured personnel (most of them being Native brigades taken in charge by officers of German origin, or from the former Belgian army), the Mittelafrikan Schutztruppen have a reputation of efficiency and courage, due to the harsh resistance of Lettow-Vorbeck during the Weltkrieg: many of his Askaris elite soldiers remained in the Mittelafrikan army after the establishment of the latter. The Freistaat Mittelafrika ensures the budget of its own army, which was mostly used for internal security and repressive measures during the Lettow-Vorbeck administration. Statthalter Göring has instead revived the rearmament and seriously considers using it for expansion or offensive goals.
Army
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The Mittelafrikan Colonial Army is a mix of regular units and local tribal militias. The regular units are mostly made from white colonialists, though there are exceptions like the famed "Askari Rifles" who fought with von Lettow-Vorbeck in the Weltkrieg. The regular units are well trained and armed with modern German-made weapons, while the training and armament of the tribal militias tends to vary.
Air Force
The Mittelafrikan Colonial Air Force consists of three tactical bomber divisions, organized into three commands: the East-African Command, the Southwest African Command and the Gold Coast Command. The Air Force will probably be expanded in the near future.
Navy
The Mittelafrikan Colonial Navy is divided into two squadrons: the Western Squadron, tasked with protecting the Mittelafrikan Atlantic Coast, and the Eastern Squadron, tasked with protecting the Mitteafrikan Indian Ocean coast. The squadrons both consist of two battleships and their screens. The Eastern Squadron also has a torpedo boat squadron. Ships of the Mittelafrikan Colonial Navy are designated DAS, for Deutscher Afrikaner Schiff
Foreign relations
Under the political, economic and military authority of Germany; likely to join the German-led Mitteleuropa alliance along with Flanders-Wallonia, Finland United Baltic Duchy, Lithuania, White Ruthenia, Ukraine in case of conflict.
Friendly relations with Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire and Spain
Declared hostility against Commune of France, Republic of the Sicilies, Union of Britain, Canada and National France
Vows of territorial expansion and declared hostility towards African countries (see below)
Goals of Mittelafrikan expansion
Portugal
National France
South Africa, Abyssinia and Egypt-Sudan
Culture
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Mittelafrika spans over a vast region of Africa, being one of the largest countries in the world. Thus, one single recognizably Mittelafrikan culture does not present itself. German culture is dominant in the areas that made up the pre-Weltkrieg German colonies and the former areas held by Britain, Belgium and France all have their distinct cultural and social setups. The paintings of Richard Knötel proposed, even before the Weltkrieg, an epic and exotic depiction of the German colonial action in Africa. Anyone who decides to travel in the former Belgian Congo, the Jewel of the Freistaat Mittelafrika, will of course bring in his luggage Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness; famous German writer Ernst Jünger, colonel in the Colonial Army, also announced that his experience in Mittelafrika would certainly inspire him a new book. Some Syndicalist or leftist writers have also travelled to Mittelafrika to see the effects of colonialism by their own eyes and eventually denounce them, such as French writer André Gide whose 1927 Voyage au Kongo (Travels to the Kongo) are still forbidden in all German colonial holdings.
