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Importing Wikidata short description: "Geopolitical region" |
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The concept dates back to the 1890s, when the then [[Chancellor of Germany (German Reich)|Chancellor of Germany]], [[Leo Grav von Caprivi|Leo von Caprivi]], gained the [[Caprivi Strip]] in the [[Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty]]. This addition to German South-West Africa attached the colony to the [[Zambezi River]]. The [[British Empire|British]] and [[German colonial empire|German empires]] competed for control over the region which now comprises [[Zimbabwe]], [[Zambia]], and [[Malawi]]. [[Cape Colony|South Africa]]-based businessman [[Cecil Rhodes]], on behalf of the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]], established a colony in the latter region (named [[Rhodesia (region)|Rhodesia]], after Rhodes himself). Germany also discussed with Britain for them to press their ally, [[First Portuguese Republic|Portugal]], to cede their colonies of [[Portuguese Angola|Angola]] and [[Portuguese Mozambique|Mozambique]] to them. The British, however, had preferential trade agreements with Portugal, who they had [[Anglo-Portuguese Alliance|long been allied with]]; though plans for an eventual Anglo-German partition of the Portuguese colonial empire were created, Britain would see its position in Africa severely weakened if they were applied, since the Germans could then effectively threaten their planned "[[Cape to Cairo Road]]". These plans were arguably made to be used only as a last resort to appease Germany in case she threatened to disrupt the balance of power in Europe. However, since German foreign policy interests were in subsequent years mainly directed at gaining mastery in Europe itself, and not in Africa, they were eventually shelved. Indeed, as it is likely that German concepts of a ''Mittelafrika'' were designed to put pressure on Britain to tolerate growing German dominance in the European continent, and not the other way around, colonial concessions would never placate the German Empire, as British politicians came to realise at the time.
The German aspiration of establishing a ''Mittelafrika'' were incorporated into Germany's aims in the [[World War I|First World War]] insofar as Germany expected to be able to gain the [[Belgian Congo]] if it were to defeat [[Belgium]] in Europe. The full realisation of ''Mittelafrika'' depended on a German victory in the [[European theatre of World War I|European theatre]] of the First World War, where Britain would be forced to negotiate and cede its [[Company rule in Rhodesia|colony of Rhodesia]] to Germany when faced with a German-dominated [[Continental Europe|continent]] across the [[English Channel]]. In the course of the actual war, German aspirations in ''Mittelafrika'' were never matched by events in the [[African theatre of World War I|African theatre]] of the First World War. The German colonies were at very different levels of defence and troop strength when the war began in Europe, and were not in a position to fight a war due to a lack of
==See also==
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