5 - German Economic Re-appropriation of the British Southern Cameroons’ Territory, 1924–46
Corresponding Author(s) : Nixon Kahjum Takor
Afrika Zamani,
No. 22-23 (2015): Afrika Zamani: An Annual Journal of African History
Abstract
In 1916 the British took over part of former German Kamerun after the capitulation of the Germans to the joint Anglo-French contingent at the end of the First World War in Cameroon. The defeat of the Germans gave the British political control over their sphere of the territory but left an unclear scenario as far as the management of the plantations, the nerve-centre of the German economy, was concerned. Despite initially efforts at appropriating and restricting German ownership of the plantations, problems of technical and managerial knowledge, cost and disinterest caused the British administration to allow German presence and participation in the Southern Cameroon economy. This article examines the circumstances leading to the interruption and then resurgence of German economic control in British Southern Cameroons. It maintains that the overwhelming economic presence of German planters from 1924 to the end of the Second World War in 1945 emanated from a combination of auspicious conditions and British diplomacy to forgive and appease Germany in the interwar period. German implication in Second World War, however, gave the British reasons to re-appropriate the plantations and federate into the Cameroons Development Corporation (CDC) in 1946 for the primary benefit of the inhabitants.
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- Aka, A.E., 2002, The British Southern Cameroons 1922-1961: a study in colonialism and underdevelopment, Platville and Madison: Nkemnji Global Tech.
- Ardener, E., 1996, Kingdom on Mount Cameroon: studies in the history of the Cameroon coast, 1500-1970, Oxford: Berghan Books.
- Ardener, S.G., 1967, Eye Witnesses to the Annexation of Cameroon 1883-1887, Buea: Ministry of Primary Education and West Cameroons Antiquities Commission.
- Cornwell, R.D., 1985, World History in the Twentieth Century, New edition, Hallow and Essex: Longman.
- DeKorne, H., 2012, ‘The Builders of Identity: Education, Language, and the Elites of Cameroon, 1916-1961’, BA with Departmental Honours in History, Wesleyan University-Connecticut.
- Elango, L.Z., 1987, ‘Trade and diplomacy on the Cameroon coast in the nineteenth century, 1833-1879: the case of Bimbia’, in Njeuma, M.Z., Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Macmillan Publishers.
- Epale, S.J., 1985, Plantations and Development in Western Cameroon 1885-1975: a study in agrarian capitalism, New York: Vantage Press.
- Eyongetah, T., Brian, R. and Palmer, R., 1987, A History of the Cameroon, New Edition, London: Longman.
- Fanso, V.G., 1989a, ‘Trade and supremacy on the Cameroon coast, 1879-1887’, in Njeuma, M.Z., Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Macmillan Publishers.
- Fanso, V.G., 1989b, Cameroon History for Secondary schools and Colleges Vol. 1: from Prehistoric times to the nineteenth century, London: Macmillan Publishers.
- Gardinier, D.E., 1967, ‘The British in the Cameroons, 1919-1939’, in Gifford, P. and Louis, W.R., eds, Britain and Germany in Africa: Imperial Rivalry and Colonial rule, New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
- Hopkins, A.G., 1973, An Economic History of West Africa, London: Longman, 1973.
- Kale, P.M., 1967, Political Evolution in the Cameroons, Buea: Government Printers.
- Konings, P., 1996, ‘Privatisation of agro-industrial parastatals and Anglophone opposition in Cameroon’, Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 34 (3): 199–217.
- Le Vine, V.T., 1971, The Cameroon Federal Republic, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
- Ngoh, V.J., 1996, History of Cameroon since 1800, Limbe: Preprint.
- Rudin, H.H., 1938, Germans in the Cameroons 1884-1914: a case study in modern imperialism, New Haven: Yale University Press.
- Takor, K.N., 2015, ‘British firms on the Cameroons coast 1916-1961: an assessment of the open door policy’, Pantikar Journal of History 2 (1) August, 1–23.
- Tatah, S.N. 1986, ‘Trade in Southern Cameroons under British Administration 1916- 1945’, post graduate Diploma in History, Department of History, University of Yaoundé.
References
Aka, A.E., 2002, The British Southern Cameroons 1922-1961: a study in colonialism and underdevelopment, Platville and Madison: Nkemnji Global Tech.
Ardener, E., 1996, Kingdom on Mount Cameroon: studies in the history of the Cameroon coast, 1500-1970, Oxford: Berghan Books.
Ardener, S.G., 1967, Eye Witnesses to the Annexation of Cameroon 1883-1887, Buea: Ministry of Primary Education and West Cameroons Antiquities Commission.
Cornwell, R.D., 1985, World History in the Twentieth Century, New edition, Hallow and Essex: Longman.
DeKorne, H., 2012, ‘The Builders of Identity: Education, Language, and the Elites of Cameroon, 1916-1961’, BA with Departmental Honours in History, Wesleyan University-Connecticut.
Elango, L.Z., 1987, ‘Trade and diplomacy on the Cameroon coast in the nineteenth century, 1833-1879: the case of Bimbia’, in Njeuma, M.Z., Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Macmillan Publishers.
Epale, S.J., 1985, Plantations and Development in Western Cameroon 1885-1975: a study in agrarian capitalism, New York: Vantage Press.
Eyongetah, T., Brian, R. and Palmer, R., 1987, A History of the Cameroon, New Edition, London: Longman.
Fanso, V.G., 1989a, ‘Trade and supremacy on the Cameroon coast, 1879-1887’, in Njeuma, M.Z., Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Macmillan Publishers.
Fanso, V.G., 1989b, Cameroon History for Secondary schools and Colleges Vol. 1: from Prehistoric times to the nineteenth century, London: Macmillan Publishers.
Gardinier, D.E., 1967, ‘The British in the Cameroons, 1919-1939’, in Gifford, P. and Louis, W.R., eds, Britain and Germany in Africa: Imperial Rivalry and Colonial rule, New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Hopkins, A.G., 1973, An Economic History of West Africa, London: Longman, 1973.
Kale, P.M., 1967, Political Evolution in the Cameroons, Buea: Government Printers.
Konings, P., 1996, ‘Privatisation of agro-industrial parastatals and Anglophone opposition in Cameroon’, Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 34 (3): 199–217.
Le Vine, V.T., 1971, The Cameroon Federal Republic, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
Ngoh, V.J., 1996, History of Cameroon since 1800, Limbe: Preprint.
Rudin, H.H., 1938, Germans in the Cameroons 1884-1914: a case study in modern imperialism, New Haven: Yale University Press.
Takor, K.N., 2015, ‘British firms on the Cameroons coast 1916-1961: an assessment of the open door policy’, Pantikar Journal of History 2 (1) August, 1–23.
Tatah, S.N. 1986, ‘Trade in Southern Cameroons under British Administration 1916- 1945’, post graduate Diploma in History, Department of History, University of Yaoundé.