On This Day

Matumbi rebellion at Samanga, German East Africa

The Maji Maji Rebellion (German: Maji-Maji-Aufstand, Swahili: Vita vya Maji Maji) was an armed rebellion of Africans against German colonial rule in German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania).

The Maji Maji Rebellion (German: Maji-Maji-Aufstand, Swahili: Vita vya Maji Maji) was an armed rebellion of Africans against German colonial rule in German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania). The war was triggered by German colonial policies designed to force the indigenous population to grow cotton for export. The war lasted from 1905 to 1907, during which 75,000 to 300,000 died, overwhelmingly from famine. The end of the war was followed by a period of famine, known as the Great Hunger (ukame), caused in large part by the scorched-earth policies used by governor Gustav Adolf von Götzen to suppress the rebellion. These tactics have been described by scholars as genocidal. The name may have been the origin of the term for the 'Mau Mau rebellion' in Kenya five decades later.

Historical Significance

The Maji Maji Rebellion (German: Maji-Maji-Aufstand, Swahili: Vita vya Maji Maji) was an armed rebellion of Africans against German colonial rule in German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania).

Events Before

  1. James Longstreet dies

    James Longstreet, Confederate confederate army general, known for confederate army general, died on 1904-01-02.

  2. The Dutch East Indies government takes control of opium distribution

    The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.

  3. Future German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany, unt

    Future German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany, until her death in 1916

  4. Japanese torpedo boats launch a surprise attack on Russian ships at the Port Arthur naval base in Manchuria, beginning t

    Japanese torpedo boats launch a surprise attack on Russian ships at the Port Arthur naval base in Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese troops also land at Chemulpo (Incheon), near Seoul, Korea; in three weeks, they advance to the Yalu River, the border of Manchuria.

  5. Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" premieres at La Scala in Milan, Italy

    Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

Events After

  1. Dutch law makes a driver's license mandatory

    Dutch law makes a driver's license mandatory

  2. Composer Igor Stravinsky (23) weds Yekaterina Nosenko

    Composer Igor Stravinsky (23) weds Yekaterina Nosenko

  3. British battleship HMS Dreadnought launches after only 100 days and renders all other capital ships obsolete with its re

    British battleship HMS Dreadnought launches after only 100 days and renders all other capital ships obsolete with its revolutionary design

  4. 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice marries in the White House

    26th US President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice marries in the White House

  5. Film director D. W. Griffith (31) weds Linda Arvidson (21) at Old North Church in Boston, Massachusetts

    Film director D. W. Griffith (31) weds Linda Arvidson (21) at Old North Church in Boston, Massachusetts

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 31, 1905?
The Maji Maji Rebellion (German: Maji-Maji-Aufstand, Swahili: Vita vya Maji Maji) was an armed rebellion of Africans against German colonial rule in German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania). The war was triggered by German colonial policies designed to force the indigenous population to grow cotton for export. The war lasted from 1905 to 1907, during which 75,000 to 300,000 died, overwhelmingly from famine.
Why is Matumbi rebellion at Samanga, German East Africa significant?
The Maji Maji Rebellion (German: Maji-Maji-Aufstand, Swahili: Vita vya Maji Maji) was an armed rebellion of Africans against German colonial rule in German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania).

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