Africa Between 1880 and 1935

Of all the external traumas that Africa has experienced, Colonialism has been the most profound. Until as late as 1880, European influence and direct political control were confined to the Southern tip of the continent, the coastal areas of North Africa and some small coastal enclaves. An overwhelming majority of Africans were still enjoying their sovereign existence in their respective states, empires, kingdoms and polities. During the short period between 1880 and 1914, the whole continent except Ethiopia and Liberia was carved up among the imperial powers. In sharp contrast to the much popularised view, Africans never readily accepted colonialism at any time, but resisted and fought the new order from the very beginning of its establishment.

1880

First Anglo-Afrikaner (Boer) war
Nehemiah Tile founds African Independent Church

1881

Muhammad Ahmad proclaimed Mahdi in the Sudan, embarks on recovery of indigenous power.

1882

Defense of Alexandria (Urabi)
Founding of the Deutschen Kolonialverein (German Colonial Association) in Munich

British bombard Alexandria

1884

Germans occupy Togo and Cameroon
Somali armed resistance against various colonialist powers (British, Italians, French) begins
February: Battle in Togo between German owners of companies and a group supporting the Togo official Lawson; kidnapping of three of his comrades-in-arms by the German navy, transport to Germany and detention in the barracks of the Second Guard Regiment in Berlin-Spandau (until June)
Massingina rebellion in Nyasaland, led by a Mbona cult pries
July: Founding of the colony Togo
July: Treaty between Cameroon officials and the Hamburg trading company C. Woermann and Jantzen & Thormaehlen
Revolt in Duala
August: Founding of the colony German South-West Africa (today Republic of Namibia)
November: Opening of the Berlin West Africa Conference (Congo Conference). Major congress of imperialist powers, they partition Africa, and prepare to invade and take possession
First South African gold fields opened

1885

February: End of the Berlin Conference; agreements regarding trading treaties and the division of the African continent Into European zones of influence
More than 20 major rebellions occur in Central Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Nyasaland (Malawi), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and tzhe Congo between 1885-1918
February: Founding of the colony German East Africa (today Republic of Tanzania)
British fail to relieve their General Gordon at Khartoum

1886

Courageous and protracted resistance by Samori Ture against French invasion. With a large, well-trained and disciplinary army divided into cavalry and infantry wings and armed with some of the new rapid-firing rifles which numbered about 6000 by 1893, and using a mixture of diplomacy and warfare, Samori Ture is able to inflict a number of defeats on the French
Slavery abolished in Cuba
Goldie's United Africa Company (founded 1879) receives charter as Royal Niger Coy
French occupy Ivory Coast
Witwatersrand gold fields opened
Second German Colonial Congress

1887

Founding of the Seminar fuer Orientalische Sprachen (College for Oriental Languages) at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin (today Humboldt University); positions established for lectors of African languages.

1888

Slavery abolished in Brazil
Fanti National Political and Agricultural Society formed in Ghana
Founding of the Deutschen Kolonialgesellschaft (German Colonial Society)
Resistance movement and revolts in Togo (until 1912)
Founding of the Women's Associaticn Reform: petition movement for the admittance of women to university studies in the German states
African Independent Church founded by a rebel group of Niderian church leaders of southern Baptist mission

1889

Emperor Menelik and Italians sign Treaty of Wuchale (Ucciali)
Ahmadu of the Tuculor empire chooses military resistance after more than 20 years unsuccessful diplomacy with the French. He was finally defeat two yeras later in 1891

1890

British Protectorate declared over East Africa (north of Tanganyika); Germans rapidly follow in Tanganyika
Resistance movement and revolts in German East Africa (until 1898)
Brussels Convention is passed, prohibitting the sell of arms to Africans. The European nations also agreed not to fight among themselves or assist any African power. It is significant that not a single armed conflict occurred between any two of the European imperial powers during the era of the partition and conquest of Africa. Divided, armed with outmoded and crude weapons, without logistic support, it is not surprising that only two African states survived the imperialist onslaught (Ethiopia and Liberia, which was protected by the US)
Germany: Establishment of the Colonial Department in the Foreign Office
Law on the establishment and support of a regular postal steam ship connection between Germany and East Africa was passed in the Parliament. The company C. Woermann received the operating license
Founding of the shipping company Deutsche Ost-Afrika-Linie (German, East Africa Line) as a joint stock company

1891

Resistance movement and revolts in Cameroon (until 1907)
Ahmadu of the Tuculor is defeated by the French
The Baule (Ivory Coast) non-centralised peoples stand up against the French, a resistance lasting until 1902
Behanzin, King of Dahomey, starts military resistance against the French until 1894, when he was arrested and deported, first to Martinique and then to Algeria where he died in 1906

1892

British invade Ijebu and Uganda
Ijebu, a Yoruba King, militarily resists the British colonisation, rising an army of between 7,000 and 10,000 men to beat back the British. He is however given a crushing defeat by a small British contingent of 1,000 men who were armed with the latest sophisticated weapons such as the 'maximum gun'
Willie J. Makalepa founds South African Ethiopian Church

1893

French declare Guinea colony
Beginning of Ethiopian resistance which inspired the entire continent. When diplomacy had failed (Italians were not respecting the Peace Treaty), Ethiopians under the leadership of Emperor Menelik embarked on a very thorough preparation of war. By 1893, they had imported about 82,000 rifles and 28 canons, and in that year repudiated the Treaty of Wuchale (Ucciali) with the now famous declaration: 'Ethiopia has no need of anyone; she stretches her hands unto God'
Ekumeku rebellion in Nigeria in defence of the old order takes off, lasting until 1906

1894

Publication of "Leben des Herrn Amur bin Nasur" (The Life of Amur bin Nasur) by Amur bin Nasar bin Ilomeiri
Beginning of military confrontation between Ethiopia and Italy (January), the Italians launching their invasion

1895

Al-Sayyid Muhammed leads rebellion in Somaliland for the overthrow of colonialism lasting until 1920
First silent movie in Paris; first screening of a film in Berlin, at the Wintergarten
French establish protectorate on Madagascar

1896

British invade Asante and the Sudan
Trying to invade Ethiopia, Italians are defeated at the Battle of Adua, in what has been described as the 'greatest African victory of an African army since the time of Hannibal'. The Italian casualties at this battle consisted of 261 officers, 2,918 non-commissioned officers and men, and about 22,000 askaris or local troops; a further 954 Italian soldiers were accounted as missing, while 470 Italians and 958 Askaris were wounded. The casualty figures constituted about 40 per cent of the total Italian army. This decisive victory not only ensured the continuous sovereign and independent existence of Ethiopia, but also made it the most revered African state among black peoples throughout the world
Aborigines Rights Protection Society founded in Ghana
First German Colonial Exhibition inBerlin (Treptower Park); approx. 100 African contract workers from all German colonies are present
Exhibition of "Exotic Peoples" - the Tunisian Harem at the Passagenpanoptikum, Berlin
Exhibition of "Exotic Peoples" - "33 wild women from Dahomey" in Hamburg Cathedral
In the US: racial segregation laws (in: public schools, public transportation; hotels, eating and entertainment establishments, theaters; etc.) declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.
In the USA: Founding of the National Association of Colored Women with Mary Church Terrell as president.

1896/97

Ndebele-Shona Chimurenga: Ndebele (Matabele) and Shona rise against dispossession; are defeated with difficulty
German penetration of South-West Africa (Namibia); followed by armed resistance and harsh repression
Penetration of British South Africa Company north of Zambazi (Zambia). Origins of Northern Rhodesia 'Protectorate'

1897

British invade Benin.

1898

Petition against the German colonial policies in Cameroon by the president of the African Association in London, Henry Sylvester Williams (1869-1911) sent to Kaiser Wilhelm II
Final defeat of Lat Dior, Damel of Cayor in the Senegal by French, after resistance of more than 30 years, between 1864-1898, using both diplomacy and military measures. When he finally found defeat inevitable, he heroically killed himself declaring that he prefered death to dishonnour
Final defeat of Samori Ture by French, after some twenty years of resistance by Samori and his army
Battle of Arbara (Sudan)
Hut tax rebellion against direct taxation in Sierra Leone
Ibo risings in Nigeria
British destroy Mahdist power at battle of Omdurman
Kitchener compels Marchand to withdraw from Upper Nile (Fashoda). British rule Sudan in formal condominium with Egypt
Naming of the "Kameruner Straße" in the Berlin district of Wedding

1899

Bloody battles in Morocco, resistance by Tuat against French aggression
Naming of "Togo Straße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the then German colony (today Republic of Togo)
Anglo-Boer War begins
British and French agree on delimitation of 1,950 miles of frontier between Congo-Nile watershed and Tripoli. Most other colonial frintiers agreed on soon after

1900

British invade the Sokoto empire (until 1904)
Yaa Asantewaa war of liberation waged by the Asante of Ghana
Several Mahdist uprisings in Sudan
Code of Civil Law comes into force in Germany
The State of Baden allows women to be admitted to institutes of higher education
Pan African Conference in London

1901

Germany invades Cameroons.

1902

Anglo-Boer War ends at Peace of Vereeniging
Ibo risings in Nigeria
Delegation led by the Duala Kings Manga Bell and Dika Akwa to Berlin; submission of petitions against the German colonial policies to the Colonial Department in the Foreign Office
Third Colonial Congress in Berlin
Naming of "Luederitz Straße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the colonial supporter Adolf Luederitz (1834-1886)

1903

Egba revolt / Adube War against direct taxation in Nigeria
Naming of the "Guineastraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the former West African "Pepper Coast", "Gold Coast", "Slave Coast"
The State of Bavaria admits women to institutions of higher education
Publication of "Sitten und Gebräuche der Suaheli" ("Customs and Traditions of the Swahili") written by M'toro bin M'wengi Bakari
"The Souls of Black Folk" by WE.B. Du Bois published in the USA.

1904

Independence rebellion in Madagascar
The African American activist Mary Church Terrell addresses the International Women's Congress in Berlin
The State of Wuerttemberg admits women to institutions of higher education
Founding of the Deutsch-Westafrikanische Bank/German West African Bank in Berlin by a consortium under the leadership of the Dresdner Bank: Branches established in the German colonies of Cameroon and Togo
Resistance to German rule by the Khoikhoi and Herero peoples in German South-West Africa (until 1906); Germans murder approx. 75,000 Herero (about half of the population)
Establishment of the General-Government of West Africa (AOF) by France

1905

Maji Maji rebellion breaks out in Tanganyika with the sole aim of driving the germans out. It is led by the traditional prophet Kinjikitile and spread to cover an area of more than 10,000 square miles involving more than twenty ethnic groups. It is important to note that this rebellion, which was a real mass movement, was precipitated by forced labour, taxation and oppression. It was the final attempt by Tanganyika's old society to destroy the colonial order by force. Maji Maji rebellion lasted until 1908 and was brutally suppressed by the Germans who murdered approx. 200,000 people in the region
Petitions against German colonial policies by kings and officials from Togo and Cameroon submitted to the German government
Fourth German Colonial Congress

1906

Bembe-Zulu rebellion
Petition against German colonial policies submitted to the government by Ludwig Mpundo Akwa, representative of the Cameroonians in Germany
Colonial Exhibition in Berlin
Naming of the "Afrikanische Straße"in the Berlin district of Wedding

1907

Disturbance involving Blacks and Whites in a Berlin coffee house; banning of Blacks
Parliamentary elections: Supporters of the German colonial policies are elected
Establishment of an independent Colonial Ministry/German Colonial Office - in the Foreign Office
German army, navy and colonial exhibition in Berlin
Naming of the “Transvaalstraße” in the Berlin district of Wedding for the former Boer State of Transvaal (today a province in the Republic of South Africa)
Execution of six revolutionaries in the colony of Cameroon

1908

Belgian state assumes authority in (Leopoldian) Congo Free State
Nyasaland (Malawi) rebellion, led by a Mbona cult priest
Mossi rebellions
Italians declare Somalia their colony
First edition of "Elolombe Ya Kamerun" - "Illustrated monthly journal for Cameroon in the Duala language published by Hans Mahner-Mons, Hamburg

1909

Colonial Exhibition in Berlin
First pentecostal or millenerian churches in Malawi: Watch Tower or Apostolic Church founded by Kamwana. Kamwana was undoubtledly influenced by the Christian Apostolic Church of Zion based in Illinois in the US. Kamwana demanded free education, attacked taxation and other aspects of colonialism and in fact prophesised that British rule would end in 1914. He was arrested and exiled, which merely increased the spread of his church throughout Malawi.

1910

Fifth German Colonial Congress
Naming of "Nachtigalplatz" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the colonial supporter Gustav Nachtigal (1834-1885)
Naming of the "Swakopmunder Straße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for a place in former German South-West Africa (today Republic of Namibia)
Naming of the "Windhuker Straße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the capital of the former German colony of South-West Africa
The first gramophone records appear oh the market. Founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the newspaper "The Crisis"
Early period of Gold Coast (Ghana) cocoa export-boom
Union of South Africa constituted
John Owalo founds the Nomilya Luo Church in Kenya

1911

French occupy Fez and declare protectorate over Morocco (1912)
Italian seize Libyan towns, declare colonies of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica
Akamba rebellion in Eastern Kenya
Acholi rebellion in Uganda
Charles Domingo founds an African Independent Church in Malawi. In his sermons, Domingo attacked the Christian missionaries and the Europeans, and opposed the contrast between their theories and their practices
Petitions submitted against the German colonial policies by Togo kings, officials, and businessmen to the German government
Naming of the "Otatistraße" in the Berlin distrlct of Wedding for a city in the former German colony German South-West Africa (today Republic of Namibia)
Legislation enabling the consolidation of municipalities and villages to form "Greater Berlin" passed

1912

On January 8th 1912, South African Native National Congress (later African National Congress - ANC) is founded with the aim to bring all Africans together as one people to defend their rights and freedoms
Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Society formed in Nigeria
North-Nyasa Native Association formed
Naming of "Kongostraße" in the Berlin district of VVedding for the river and former Belgian colony (today Republic of Congo)
Naming of "Sansibarstraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the island of Zanzibar in the then German colony German East Africa (today part of the Republic of Tanzania)

1913

Systematic legalised discrimination against Africans begins in South Africa with Land Settlement Act (allocating African ownership to about 12 per cent of territory), and continues rapidly with acts in other fields
Rebellion in Kenya, led by Mumbo cult priest

1914

First World War (until 1918)
West-Nyasa Native Association formed
August: Execution of 200 resistance leaders and officials in the German colony of Cameroon, among them Rudolf Duala Manga Bell, Ludwig Mpundo Akwa, Mandola von Gross Batanga, Martin-Paul Samba
In Jamaica: Founding of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).

1915

John Chilembwe, a nationalist church leader in Malawi leads a rebellion against the colonial system during which he is shot dead. Having been trained in the US between 1897 and 1900, Chilembwe returned home and founded his own Providence Industrial Mission which ran schools and farms. In his sermons he vehemently attacked colonialism as a mockery of Christianity and in particular condemned the forced incorporation of Africans in the First World War
Gurunsi uprising in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso)
Sadaavahe, armed peasant rebellion in the south of Madagascar

1916

Rebellion in the Congo, in which the priestess Maria Nkoie played a key role. It lasted until 1921
Germany: Attacks on African employees of the College for Oriental Languages

1917

Mozambique: The Zambezi people, led by the Barue royal family and the Shona spirit mediums, start a major rebellion against forced labour, increased taxation, mandatory cotten production, sexual abuses and military conscription which lasted until 1921
Revolution in Russia

1918

Abdication by Wilhelm II, Resignation of the government of Prince Max von Baden, Declaration of the Republic by Karl Liebknecht and Philipp Scheidemann
War related inflation in Europe (until 1923)
In the USA: Founding of the newspaper "Negro World" (official organ of the UNIA)

1919

Tanganyika under British Mandate
Sudan: Dinka and Nuer, led by their traditional prophets, start rebellion with the aim of overthrowing the colonial system. The attempt is brutally suppressed
Young Baganda Association formed by Z.K. Sentogo in East Africa which soon attacked the colonial system
Convening of the Nationalversammlung zu Weimar (National Assembly in Weimar), Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925) becomes German President
Petition from Africans living in Germany to the National Assembly
Signing of the peace treaty in the Palace of Versailles; the German colonies transferred to the mandate powers, France and England
Street fighting in Berlin between communists and right wing voluntary units – Freikorps, participation of former African colonial soldiers in the Freikorps
Murder of the politicians Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
Laws passed allowing women's suffrage in Germany and the USA
Pan-African Congress in Paris
In the US: "Red Summer", racial unrest
In Great Britain: racial unrest

1920

National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA) formed, which was the most interesting and most important of the political movements to emerge, partly because it was the only territorial or regional party having branches in all British West African colonies of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia, and partly because its demands and activities were typical of a majority of similar clubs throughout Africa. The Congress demanded a reform of the constitution in British West Africa so as to "give the people an effective voice in their affairs both in the legislative and municipal government". It also called for an abolition of racial discrimination in appointments to the civil service, the bench and the medical service and recommended that entrance should be based on competitive examination
Gold Coast Youth Conference
Many Peasant rebellions in Belgian Congo between 1920-1922 in the lower Congo region
Hunkanrin revives the local branches of the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme and the Comité Franco-Musulman in Dahomey in order to champion a campaign of passive resistance against high taxation and steep prices of imported goods
Mombere Association is formed in Malawi
Many local uprisings in Somaliland, especially in the Italian section (1920, 1922, 1927, 1932, 1935, 1936)
Germany: Social Democratic Party resolution against colored French occupation forces (the so-called "Black Disgrace") in the Rhineland
Germany: The pamphlet "Colored Frenchmen on the Rhine and Ruhr" translated into 5 languages and sent abroad by the German Foreign Office
Germany: Dissolution of the German Colonial Office, transfer of responsibility to the Ministry for Reconstruction

1920 - 1925

Passing of laws for the "Compensation of Colonial War Damage"
Payment of compensation to African colonial soldiers administered by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Eingeborenenkunde (German Society for Native Studies)
Law on the creation of the new Municipality of Berlin; Berlin population: 3.8 million
League of Nations, the first international organization to safeguard world peace, founded in Geneva.

1921

Second Pan-African Congress in London, Brussels, Paris
Young Kavirondo Association and Young Kikuyu Association are formed. In 1928, Jomo Kenyatta becomes secretary of the Young Kikuyu Association
East Africa Association is founded by Harry Thuku in Nairobi
Series of boycotts organised by rural Transkei women against European merchants in protest against price fixing and refusal to give credit
Cocoa farmers boycott in Ghana against European imported goods
The first American jazz records on sale in Germany

1922

Bondelswarts rebellion in South-West Africa
Tanganyika Territory African Civil Service Association is formed
Sudan: Mahdist revolts in north
Assassination of the German foreign minister Walther Rathenau
The prisoner of war camp opened in 1911 in Wuensdorf/Zossen (State of Brandenburg) is closed. Africans from the French, Belgian and English colonies were among the 15,000 prisoners

1923

Southern Rhodesia settlers achieve self-rule as nominal Crown Colony of UK
Mambii Party of Accra formed in Ghana
Democratic Party of Nigeria formed
Rhodesian Bantu Voters Association is founded to "arm and strive for the betterment of the Brown race in school and Government"
Mwenzo Welfare Association is formed in Zambia by the father of Kenneth Kaunda
Beginning of "public entertainment radio" in Germany in Berlin
French and Belgian troops occupy the industrial Ruhr region
Dawes Plan accepted
Attempted coup by Hitler in Munich prevented
Third Pan-African Congress in London and Lisbon
Reestablishment of a Colonial Department in the Foreign Office.

1924

The German Emergency Confederation against the occupation of the Rheinland by African troops is supported financially by the German Foreign Office
Sixth German Colonial Congress in Berlin
Dawes Plan for the regulation of German reparations after the World War I goes into effect
Founding of the Ligue pour la Défense de la race noire (League for the Défense of the Black Race) and its official newspaper "Les Continents" in Paris
The Ku Klux Klan reorganized in the US

1925

Portuguese complete colonial occupation of inland Angola and Mozambique
Rehobolther rebellion against harsh and inhuman treatment from South African government
More than 50 clubs and literary salons are formed alone in Ghana between 1925-1930
Tanganyika African Association is formed
German parliamentary elections: The former Prussian General Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) is elected German President
Colonial Exhibition in the Berlin City Hall organised by the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft (German Colonial Society)
Reorganization of the National-sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) - (The National Socialist German Workers' Party [Nazi]) - in Munich
First jazz program in Germany on public radio in Berlin
In Berlin: first guest performance by an African American revue group - "Chocolate Kiddies".

1926

ANC campaign called National Convention of Bloomfontein against new series of racist laws. The convention condemned racial segregation and demanded racial equality
Berlin population 4 Million; 171,000 (Oct.) registered unemployed
Joseph Goebbels assumes the leadership of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Berlin
Founding of the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) as the youth organisation of the National Socialist Party
Germany becomes a member of the League of Nations

1927

Sudan: Dinka and Nuer again start rebellions with the aim of overthrowing the colonial system. The attempt is brutally suppressed but lasts until 1947
Africans from the former German colonies willing to return to their places of origin allowed to apply for a passport at the British and French embassies in Berlin
Naming of "Dualastraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for Duala, the largest port in the former German colony of Cameroon (today the Republic of Cameroon)
Naming of "Ugandastraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the former part of German East Africa (today Republic of Uganda)
Naming of "Sambesistraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding after the largest river in southern Africa
Naming of "Senegalstraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the then French colony (today the Republic of Senegal)
Naming of "Tangastraße" in the Berlin district of Wedding for the city in former German East Africa (today Republic of Tanzania)
Fourth Pan-African Congress in New York

1929

Italians reconquer Fezzan
Nigeria: Aba women rebellion against the colonial imposition of direct taxation and the introduction of new local courts
Young Plan for the regulation of German reparations goes into effect
Representatives of the mandate powers visit Berlin; closing out of the compensation fund for former African colonial soldiers through negotiations between the "Askari delegation Brandes-Mueller" and the Colonial Department of the German Foreign Office
Founding of the "Liga zur Verteidigung der Negerrasse EV. ", the German section of the "Liga pour Ia Défense de la race noire" (League for the Defense of the Black Race) with headquarters in Berlin
New York Stock Market crash

1930

Period of collapse of colonial export prices
Cocoa farmers boycott in Ghana against European imported goods
German parliamentary elections: The German Communist Party (KPD) and the NSDAP gain votes
First "International Conference of Negro Workers in Hamburg
founding of the magazine "The Negro Worker"

1931

Participation of Africans from Berlin at the “International Conference for the African Child" in Geneva
Beginning of the economic depression in the US and most countries in Europe
Fourth emergency measure "Sicherung von Wirtschaft und Finanzen" ( “For securing the economy and business") passed by the German government

1932

Re-election of Hindenburg as German President
Parliamentary elections. The NSDAP becomes the strongest party. Hindenburg refuses Hitler as a candidate for the chancellorship
Emergency measure "zur Belebung der Wirtschaft" - "for the Revitalisation of the Economy" passed by the government
New elections: losses for the NSDAP, gains for the KPD. Berlin population 4,200,000; 596,800 (Oct.) registered unemployed

1933

January: Demonstration of the Sturmabteilung - SA (Nazi Volunteer Associations) in front of the Karl-Liebknecht-Haus in the district Mitte
January: Large demonstration organized by the German Communist Party against the faschists
January 30: The National Socialists take power, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) appointed Chancellor
1 Febuary:"Notverordnung zur Auflösung des Reichstages und Abhaltung von Neuwahlen am 5. März"/i "Emergency Decree dissolving parliament (Reichstag) and date set for new elections on March 5"
27 Febuary: Burning of the Reichstag - parliament building.
28 Febuary: Presidential decree "zum Schutz von Volk und Staat" ("Protection of the People and the State")
Febuary: Large Social Democratic Party demonstration against Hitler's government on the square in front of Berlin Cathedral, in Berlin-Mitte
13 March: Establishment of the Propagandaministerium / Propaganda Ministry under the direction of Joseph Goebbels
24 March: "Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich"/ "Law on the Alleviation of the People's and the Reich's Misery " (Enabling Law); dissolution of the parliament, the Weimar Constitution is de facto annulled.
March: The Berlin Jazz Hour forbids "Neger Jazz"
March: Establishment of the first state-run concentration camp (KZ) in Dachau near Munich
1 April: The NSDAP calls for attacks on Jewish businesses; beginning of the National Socialist persecution of Jews
7 April: "Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums" / "Civil Service Law": dismissal of political opponents and "non-Aryan" civil servants
2 May: Suppression of the free trade unions
10 May: Bookburning by NSDAP students on the Opera 3quare opposite the Humboldt University.
14 July:"Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuches" / "Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases" (in World War II "Euthanasia Program")
July:"Gesetz über den Widerruf von Einbürgerungen und die Aberkennung der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit" l "Law on the Revocation of Naturalization and the Revoking of German Nationality"
July: Africans from the former German colonies have their German passports revoked and are given Alien Passports; first waves of employment dismissals for Africans from the former German colonies
September: "Gesetz über die Bildung der Reichskulturkammer" / "Law the Establishment of the Imperial Ministry of Cu CuIture"
September: Publication of the "Sterilization Law"
Naming of the "Transvaalstraße" (extension) for the former Boor State Transvaal, (today a province in the Republic of South Africa)
October: Withdrawal of Germany from the League of Nations
1 December: "Gesetz zur Sicherung der Einheit von Partei und Stadt" / "Law to Secure the Unity of Party and Nation". The NSDAP becomes the only official political party

1934

Tripolitania and Cyrenaica united in colony of Lybia
Island Club of Lagos and Nigerian Youth Movement formed in Nigeria, included all the young intellectuals of the day
Numerous Igbo Unions formed in Nigeria
Germany: Dissolution of the Parliament (February). Establishment of the journal "Neues Volk"- a publication of the NSDAP Department for Racial Policies.
Germany: Article in the journal "Neues Volk" on the necessity of sterilizing the offspring of black French occupation soldiers (so called "Rhineland Bastards")
Germany: Establishment of the Rassenpolitisches Amt / Office of Racial Policy under the direction of Dr. Walter Gross (from May 1933 to 1934) in operation under the name Aufklärungsamt für Bevölkerungspolitik und Rassenflege / Office for Population Policy and Racial Care (May)