Grigor’ev, A.A.: German Colonies in Africa

Title

Germanskie kolonii v Afrike, “Priroda”, 1915, 1, 2, 7-8

German Colonies in Africa

Keywords

Summary

The essay is divided into four chapters: German East Africa (issue 1), Cameroon (issue 2), Togo and German South West Africa (issue 7-8). In the introduction, Grigor’ev quickly explains that Germany has acquired territories in separate regions of Africa, which, along with the unfavourable climate, makes their administration harder. He proceeds by dedicating each chapter to a colony, of which he describes the geography, climate, flora, fauna, population and economic relevance for Germany. Overall, Grigor’ev significantly downplays the impact of the German colonisation over these territories. For instance, the genocide of the Herero is reported matter-of-factly: though merciless, it is a somewhat inevitable consequence of their uprising. In his conclusions, the author expresses the opinion that, in comparison to France and Great Britain, Germany has fallen behind as a colonial ruler, mainly due to its inexperience. He backs this statement up by citing German geographer Franz Thorbecke, who delivered lectures on this matter at Heidelberg university. Grigor’ev’s essays are illustrated with maps and photographs of unknown origin, though, given the author’s connections to Germany, it is safe to assume that they are a German product.

Bio

Andrei Grigor’ev was a Russian and Soviet geographer and geomorphologist. Born in Saint Petersburg into a noble family, he graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in 1907, with a first-degree diploma in zoology. To deepen his education, he consequently attended lectures at Berlin and Heidelberg universities (1908-1909). Initially banished from teaching in Russia due to his involvement in the 1905 revolutionary movements, he earned a living by contributing to the Brokhaus and Efron encyclopaedia and collaborating with several periodicals, while at the same time continuing his studies at Heidelberg. A member of the Russian Geographical Society, after the revolution he was involved in the establishment of the Geographical Institute (the first of its kind in Russia), and had a rapid academic career. Throughout his life, he took part in several scientific expeditions within Russia’s borders, for which he received awards on multiple occasions.

Sources

A. Piatnov, A. Tkachenko, “Grigor’ev Andrei Aleksandrovich”, in Bol’shaia rossiiskaia entsiklopediia, t. 7, Moskva 2007, p. 758;

“Grigor’ev Andrei Aleksandrovich. Biograficheskaia spravka”, in “Informatsionnaia sistema Arkhivy RAN”, https://isaran.ru/?q=ru/person&guid=E00A0729-DFA1-557C-FF95-D8B4E5C131CE

A.F.

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