Transnationalism and ColonialismSettler communities in Southern Africa between NS-ideology and Apartheid
historian, political scientist, lecturer in German, specializies in issues of European integration, totalitarian regimes and transitional justice
Professor Klaus Bachmann from SWPS University will research the impact of the Nazi ideology on the white settler communities and indigenous people in southern Africa during WWII and the legacy of this influence after the war in the region.
The project is financed by the National Research Center, project number 2020/37/B/HS3/00643.
Project objectives
In occupied Europe the Nazis ruled by brute force, mercilessly, never fearing the consequences. This has been researched for decades and is well known. However, it is not so well known that they also tried to infiltrate the European population living in some African countries, in particular those with large German settler communities. Over there, the Nazis were a minority and were persecuted by the colonial powers, which were (rightly) very suspicious of the new ideology that seemed attractive to the non-German settlers from Europe, and sometimes even to the native population. Professor Bachmann will examine the struggle between colonialism and National Socialism, which took place in Africa during WWII. He will also investigate the social and political consequences that this power struggle brought about after 1945.
The project will focus on the power struggle between the Nazi National Socialism and colonialism in Africa during World War II, in particular in the countries with a relatively sizable German-settler population. I will also investigate the social and political consequences that this power struggle brought about after 1945.
Methodology
The project will investigate the impact, which the rise of the Nazi ideology and politics had on the relations among European settlers, and on the relations between the European settlers and the local population living in southern Africa, including the territories of the Union of South Africa South-West Africa and Mozambique. The researcher will also analyze the post-war legacy of this influence and its role in the development of the apartheid policy in the region.