Colonial Records: Who Colonized Tanzania?
Who was Tanzania colonized by? A number of colonialists passed through the country which was then called Tanganyika, but the 2 major powers that actually colonialized and built roots were Germans and the British. Here is a quick summary about each one of them.
German Colonization [1885 to 1919]
According to the colonial records, German East Africa was named a protectorate in 1885, and the territory of GEA [German East Africa] [current mainland Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi] was created in 1891. Following Germany’s defeat in WW I, the Versailles treaty divided German East Africa.
| Record collections | Years covered | Record type | Language
spoken |
Who is part of the records |
| Die -deutschen Kolonien -für die Schule -dargestellt | 1885-1919 | Background information | German | German colonies in China and Africa |
British Colonization [1919 to 1961]
During WW1 I, Tanzania was overrun by British and Belgian troops as stated in the colonial records. The Versailles treaty split the country right after the war. Tanganyika was the name given by the British to their portion of the area. Tanganyika gained independence from British domination in 1961 but was administered by a governor who served as a proxy for the British monarch during the first 1st of freedom. In 1961, Tanganyika declared independence from the United Kingdom, and in December 1962, it became a democratic state with an executive presidency. In 1963, Zanzibar became independent. Zanzibar and Tanganyika were merged in 1964 to establish the Republic of Tanzania.
| Record collections | Years covered | Record types | Language
spoken |
Who is part of the records |
| UK Armed Forces and International Births as well as Baptisms, Nation at Find My History -Images and index ($) | 1858 to 2005 | Baptisms and Births | English | Children born to military members, merchant marine, and diplomatic forces, and also passenger ship passengers |
| UK Armed Forces and international Banns as well as Marriages, Nation at Find My history -images and index ($) | 1942 to 1970 | Marriages and Banns | English | Armed forces personnel and civilians from the United Kingdom who got married abroad or at sea |
| UK Armed Forces and International Deaths as well as Burials, Nation at Find My history -images and index ($) | 1951 to 2005 | Burials and deaths | English | Members of the UK armed services who died while actively serving their Nation abroad, British citizens who died while visiting or working abroad, and citizens [including sailors] who died while at sea |
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