Colonial history Diaries of genocide perpetrator Lothar von Trotha to be published
Today, it is undisputed that German troops committed genocide in South West Africa during the colonial era. An editorial project reveals the perspective of the commander-in-chief.
In 1904 and 1905, Lothar von Trotha was in command of the colonial troops in German South-West Africa that fought against OvaHerero and Nama. He is rightly considered the main perpetrator of the first genocide of the 20th century, the genocide of the OvaHerero. Five of Trotha’s diaries from this period exist, but for decades they were not accessible to the public at all and to researchers only to a limited extent, because they were privately owned. Historians Dr. Andreas Eckl and Dr. Dr. Matthias Häussler from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) are currently preparing an edition of these journals.
They expect to publish the diaries in early 2023, together with a photo album documenting Trotha’s years in Africa. The RUB science magazine Rubin features a report on the work conducted by the Bochum-based researchers as part of the project “Textual and pictorial narrative of genocide”, funded by the German Research Foundation.
Scarcely any sources
Sources from colonial history in German South-West Africa are scarce, because the records of the Schutztruppen were destroyed. “For historians, the diaries are a treasure whose importance can’t be rated highly enough,” says Matthias Häussler. He was in contact with the von Trotha estate for years. “It took some patience to get permission for us to edit the books,” he recalls. “Even though the family was fairly open to the idea early on.” Funded by the German Research Foundation, he’s been working on this edition at the RUB Institute for Diaspora and Genocide Studies together with Andreas Eckl since the beginning of 2021.
800 pages – some written on horseback
The researchers have now deciphered 99.8 per cent of the 800 handwritten pages. This presented quite a challenge, because Trotha wrote his notes not only in specific locations, but also on the march and on horseback.
The diaries don’t refute that genocide was committed in German South-West Africa. “There’s no doubt about it whatsoever,” says Andreas Eckl. “It was genocide. And the diaries don’t contradict it at all.” But they do provide new insights into the mindset and life of Lothar von Trotha, who – as the notes show – was very full of himself and enjoyed his privileges.
Unlike the diaries, which always record extraordinary incidents, the photo album documents Lothar von Trotha’s everyday life in Africa. It contains more than 200 pictures, mostly taken by Trotha himself, although only three of its 35 pages are dedicated to the Herero campaign. “After his return from Africa, Lothar von Trotha made four copies of the photo album and sent them to the influencers of the time, so to speak,” says Andreas Eckl. The historian acquired one of the copies privately a long time ago; he has been collecting books and photos on colonial history for more than 20 years.
No indication of extreme racism
The researchers have not been able to identify any signs of extreme racism in either the diary or the photo album – even though Trotha is widely regarded as a race warrior par excellence. “This doesn’t mean, however, that he didn’t think in racist terms.” Eckl and Häussler point out that the commander-in-chief’s diaries and photo album were not exclusively personal mementos; rather, they were intended for the general public. Above all, this is true of the photo album. “In it, Lothar von Trotha tells his own story of the war,” says Andreas Eckl. This is because, after his return from Africa, he was not a celebrated hero. Criticism of his conduct of the war was certainly voiced. His writings and even more so his photographs were Trotha’s attempt to respond to this criticism.