Karl Peters
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Carl Peters (27 September 1856 – 10 September 1918) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
and
colonial administrator Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...
. He was a major promoter of the establishment of the German colony of
East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
(part of today’s Tanzania) and one of the founders of the
German East Africa Company The German East Africa Company (, abbreviated DOAG) was a chartered colonial organization that brought about the establishment of German East Africa, a territory which eventually comprised the areas of modern Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. The ...
. He was a controversial figure in Germany for his views and his brutal treatment of native Africans, which ultimately led to his dismissal from government service in 1897.


Early life

Peters was born on 27 September 1856 at Neuhaus an der
Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
in the
Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
, the son of a
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
clergyman. Peters studied history and philosophy at the universities of
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
and
Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...
, and at the
Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...
as a student of
Heinrich von Treitschke Heinrich Gotthard von Treitschke (; 15 September 1834 – 28 April 1896) was a German historian, political writer and National Liberal member of the Reichstag during the time of the German Empire. He was an extreme nationalist, who favored Ger ...
. In 1879, he was awarded a gold medal by the Frederick William University for his dissertation concerning the 1177
Treaty of Venice The Treaty or Peace of Venice, 1177, was a peace treaty between the papacy and its allies, the north Italian city-states of the Lombard League, and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily also took part in negotiations and ...
and habilitated with a treatise concerning
Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...
.


Career


German East Africa Company

After his studies, instead of becoming a teacher, Peters moved to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, where he stayed with his recently widowed maternal uncle,
Carl Engel Carl Engel (July 21, 1883 – May 6, 1944) was a French-born American pianist, composer, musicologist and publisher from Paris. He was also president of G. Schirmer, Inc., a writer on music for The Musical Quarterly, and chief of the Music ...
, on Addison Road. Engel was a distinguished composer and musical essayist, the brother-in-law of the ophthalmologist
Sir William Bowman Sir William Bowman, 1st Baronet (20 July 1816 – 29 March 1892) was an English surgeon, histologist and anatomist. He is best known for his research using microscopes to study various human organs, though during his lifetime he pursued a succe ...
, and lived the life of a
gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...
. During his time in London, Peters was offered the opportunity of becoming a
British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...
, which he rejected due to his
German nationalist German nationalism () is an ideological notion that promotes the unity of Germans and of the Germanosphere into one unified nation-state. German nationalism also emphasizes and takes pride in the patriotism and national identity of Germans a ...
sympathies. Having studied the principles of
European colonialism The phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by various civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Han Chinese, and Ar ...
during his foreign sojourn, when Peters returned to Berlin he initiated the
Society for German Colonization The Society for German Colonization (, GfdK) was founded on 28 March 1884 in Berlin by Carl Peters. Its goal was to accumulate capital for the acquisition of German Colony, colonial territories in overseas countries. History Peters had just return ...
''(Gesellschaft für Deutsche Kolonisation)'', a pressure group for the acquisition of colonies by Germany. In the autumn of 1884, he proceeded with two companions to East Africa, and concluded in the name of his society treaties with the chiefs of Usagara and neighbouring areas. The treaties were written in German and had little legal value. Even Karl Jühlke, who was a member of Peters' expedition, conceded that "it is true that the natives were probably not clear as to the significance of the treaties." Returning to Europe early in 1885, Peters formed the
German East Africa Company The German East Africa Company (, abbreviated DOAG) was a chartered colonial organization that brought about the establishment of German East Africa, a territory which eventually comprised the areas of modern Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. The ...
, as successor to the Society for German Colonization. The
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
government of Chancellor
Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
, fearing the effect on relations with the British, was originally opposed to these plans, and had refused any funding when Peters began. Bismarck refused a second time when Peters returned to Germany during the last days of the Berlin Conference of 1884, demanding an imperial charter. Peters threatened the Chancellor successfully by threatening to sell his acquisitions to King
Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Leo ...
who was eager to expand his territory of Congo. As Bismarck's National Liberal Party allies in the Reichstag parliament were pro-colonial anyway, he finally agreed and the charter was granted on 27 February 1885. This constituted the necessary beginning for further expansion on the East African mainland in the years ensuing. Peters had no training or experience in running a business, and the German East Africa Company was soon in financial difficulties. With government intervention it was reorganised and refinanced in March 1887 and Peters had to renounce his control. He was appointed as the company's director in Zanzibar, where he served during 1887-88. However he failed to negotiate a treaty with Barghash bin Said, sultan of Zanzibar, for the leasing of the coastal zone, and he was recalled to Germany early in 1888. Later that year the German East Africa Company reached an agreement with Barghash's successor, Sultan
Khalifah bin Said of Zanzibar Sayyid Khalifa I bin Said al-Busaidi, GCMG, (or Chalîfe) (c. 1852 – 13 February 1890) () was the third Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Zanzibar from 26 March 1888 to 13 February 1890 and was succeeded by his brother, Ali bin Said. Life In ...
, who leased his coastal dominions in what was to be Tanganyika to the German East Africa Company.


Emin Pasha Relief Expedition

In the same year Peters began an expedition from the east coast of Africa, avowedly for the relief of
Emin Pasha Mehmed Emin Pasha (born Isaak Eduard Schnitzer, baptized Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer; March 28, 1840 – October 23, 1892) was an Ottoman physician of German Jewish origin, naturalist, and governor of the Egyptian province of Equatoria ...
, actually to extend the area of German influence in
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
and
Equatoria Equatoria is the southernmost region of South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile and the border between South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Juba, the national capital is the largest city in South S ...
. This expedition was not sanctioned by the German government and was regarded by local British authorities as a
filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...
(in the 19th century sense of the word). Peters and his expedition "lived off the land," seizing foodstuffs from the local population. Several years later the Danish explorer, Peder Scavenius, was travelling in the Tana valley, and reported that
"On every side I came on traces of war. In the neighborhood of Obangi I found even villages that had been destroyed by fire, and everywhere skeletons of men, women, and children, those of women and children being especially numerous… It was almost impossible for me to procure the necessary rice for my people, for as soon as we approached the whole populace fled panic-stricken. The natives were terrified at my white face, for the last white man they had seen was Dr. Peters."
Reaching Uganda in early 1890, Peters learnt that Emin Pasha had already been located by the American explorer, Henry Moreton Stanley. Peters concluded a treaty with Kabaka
Mwanga II of Buganda Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa (3 June 1868 – 8 May 1903)D. A. Low''Fabrication of Empire: The British and the Uganda Kingdoms, 1890-1902'' Cambridge University Press, 2009, p. 210, note 196. was the 31st Kabaka of Buganda, Kabaka of ...
in favour of Germany. He had to leave Uganda hastily on the approach of an expedition commanded by
Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong Kong (1907 ...
, the representative of the
Imperial British East Africa Company The Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) was a commercial association founded to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British Empire. The company was incorporated in London on 18 April 1888 and granted a royal charter by ...
. On reaching
Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
he learned that his efforts were useless, as on 1 July 1890 the
Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty The Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty (; also known as the Anglo-German Agreement of 1890) was an agreement signed on 1 July 1890 between Germany and the United Kingdom. The accord gave Germany control of the Caprivi Strip (a ribbon of land that gav ...
between Germany and the UK had been signed, whereby Uganda was left as an area of British influence and Peters's agreement with Mwanga became null and void. Meanwhile, the power of his company had ended when the coastal population rebelled in the Abushiri Revolt against the implementation of the lease agreement between the Sultan and the Germans. The German government had to intervene by sending troops commanded by
Hermann Wissmann Hermann Wilhelm Leopold Ludwig Wissmann, after 1890 Hermann von Wissmann (4 September 1853 – 15 June 1905), was a German explorer and administrator in Africa. Biography Born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Wissmann was enlisted in the Prussian Arm ...
, who ended the insurrection. The German government took over the administration of the territory as a crown colony. Nevertheless, on his return to Germany Peters was received with great honours, and in 1891 published an account of his expedition entitled ''Die deutsche Emin Pasha Expedition'', which was translated into English. He also endorsed the foundation of the ''
Alldeutscher Verband The Pan-German League () was a Pan-German nationalist organization which was officially founded in 1891, a year after the Zanzibar Treaty was signed. Primarily dedicated to the German question of the time, it held positions on German imperia ...
'' in protest against the Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty.


Reichskommissar

On 18 March 1891, he went out again to East Africa as "
Reichskommissar (, rendered as "Commissioner of the Empire", "Reich Commissioner" or "Imperial Commissioner"), in German history, was an official governatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and Nazi Germany. Ger ...
for the
Kilimanjaro Region Kilimanjaro Region (''Mkoa wa Kilimanjaro'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The regional capital and largest city is the municipality of Moshi, Tanzania, Moshi. With the 3rd highe ...
" in Moshi, however subordinate to governor Freiherr von Soden. Peters soon moved the German station from Moshi to Marangu, and he undertook a punitive mission against the Rombo in September 1891. In October 1891 Mabruk, one of Peters' African servants, broke into the station house at Marangu one night and possibly had sexual relations with one of the African women who were kept as sex-slaves by the Germans. Peters was furious and had the man hanged as punishment. In January 1892 one of those African women, Jagodjo, was also hanged, because Peters suspected her of having been a spy. It was Anglican missionaries who brought this matter to the attention of Governor von Soden, who initiated an inconclusive investigation. Soden recalled Peters to the coast and gave him the task of working on a commission with the British to delineate the boundary between German East Africa and the British colony which would later become Kenya. Shortly after Peters' departure from Kilimanjaro the German forces there suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of chief Meli of Moshi. There were those who believed that Peters' political ineptitude had sown the seeds of this disaster, and reports criticising Peters began to appear in the German press in June 1892. Peters was recalled to Berlin and employed in the Colonial Section of the Foreign Office from 1893 to 1895, while official accusations were brought against him of excesses in regard to his treatment of the African population. In a session of the Reichstag on 13 March 1896
August Bebel Ferdinand August Bebel (; 22 February 1840 – 13 August 1913) was a German socialist activist and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Bebel, a woodworker by trade, co-founded the Sa ...
, chairman of the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
, finally made the killings public, citing from an alleged letter written by Peters to Bishop
Alfred Tucker Alfred Robert Tucker (1 April 1849–1914) was the Anglican Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa (covering the contemporary countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania), from 1890 to 1899, and Bishop of Uganda from 1899 to 1908. Early life Tucker ...
. Peters correctly denied the authenticity of the letter but had to admit the executions. After three investigations, in 1897, he was dishonourably deprived of his commission for misuse of official power, losing all his pension benefits.


Later life and death

Peters evaded final sentencing and further criminal prosecution by relocating to London, where he occupied himself with schemes for exploiting parts of
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
and
Portuguese East Africa Portuguese Mozambique () or Portuguese East Africa () were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese overseas province. Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a str ...
. In the interests of a
gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...
company he formed, Peters explored the Fura district and Macombes country on the
Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...
river, where in 1899 he discovered ruins of cities and deserted gold mines of the medieval
Kingdom of Mutapa The Mutapa Empire – sometimes referred to as Mwenemutapa or Munhumutapa, (, ) – was an African empire in Zimbabwe, which expanded to what is now modern-day Mozambique, Botswana, Malawi, and Zambia. It was ruled by the Nembire or Mbire dyn ...
, which he identified as the legendary ancient lands of
Ophir Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. Its existence is attested to by an inscribed pottery shard found at Tell Qasile (in modern-day Tel Aviv) in 1946, dating to the eighth century BC, which reads "''go ...
. He returned in 1901 and gave an account of his explorations in ''Im Goldland des Altertums'' (The Eldorado of the Ancients) (1902). In 1905, he again visited the region between the Zambezi and Save rivers. In 1907–1908 Peters, who had again taken up residence in Germany, brought actions for libel against a Munich journal and the ', seeking to clear his character in regard to his administration in East Africa. These actions wrought no change in public opinion in Germany and Peters remained on the retired list. In 1914, Peters was able to return to Germany, after Emperor
Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
by personal decree had bestowed upon him the right to use the title of an Imperial Commissioner again and had given him a pension from his personal budget, while the sentence by the disciplinary court remained in effect. Peters published an autobiography in February 1918 and died on 10 September.


Legacy

Besides the books already mentioned and some smaller treatises, Peters published a philosophical work entitled ''Willenswelt und Weltwille'' (1883), and a disquisition on early gold production entitled ''Das goldene Ophir Salomo's'' (1895), translated into English in 1899. A proponent of
Social Darwinism Charles Darwin, after whom social Darwinism is named Social Darwinism is a body of pseudoscientific theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economi ...
and the '' Völkisch'' philosophy, his attitude towards the indigenous population made him one of the most controversial colonizers even during his lifetime. Critics among Social Democrats,
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, and Free-minded politicians considered Peters a national shame. The
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...
Africanist
Oscar Baumann Oscar Baumann (25 June 1864 in Vienna – 12 October 1899 in Vienna) was an Austrian explorer, cartographer and ethnographer. He attended classes on natural history and geography at the University of Vienna, and in 1885 was part of an Austr ...
referred to him as "half crazy". One of his nicknames in the German critical press was ''Hänge-Peters'' ("Hangman-Peters"). He was known by natives as "''mkono wa damu''", meaning "the man with blood on his hands". However, Peters was feted as a national hero among colonial-minded people. Peters was celebrated as a national hero in
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, and was officially rehabilitated by personal decree of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
in 1936. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
'' fleet tender ''
Carl Peters Carl Peters (27 September 1856 – 10 September 1918) was a German explorer and colonial administrator. He was a major promoter of the establishment of the German colony of East Africa (part of today’s Tanzania) and one of the founders of ...
'' was named after him. He was also the subject of a 1941
propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...
, ''
Carl Peters Carl Peters (27 September 1856 – 10 September 1918) was a German explorer and colonial administrator. He was a major promoter of the establishment of the German colony of East Africa (part of today’s Tanzania) and one of the founders of ...
'', by
Herbert Selpin Herbert Selpin (29 May 1904 – 1 August 1942) was a German film director, film editor, and screenwriter of light entertainment during the 1930s and 1940s. He is known for his final film, the partly suppressed 1943 propaganda film ''Titanic'', ...
, starring
Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960), also known by his nickname “der blonde Hans” (The Blond Hans), was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the m ...
as Peters. A number of towns in Germany had streets named after Peters, but many were later renamed following debate concerning his legacy. For example, ''Petersallee'' in the
Afrikanisches Viertel The ''Afrikanisches Viertel'' () is a neighborhood in Wedding, a locality of Mitte, Berlin, Germany. It is bounded by Müllerstraße, Seestraße, Volkspark Rehberge, Goethepark, and the border with the neighboring borough of Reinickendorf. ...
in Berlin was originally named after Carl Peters, but was rededicated in 1986 to Hans Peters, a member of the
anti-Nazi resistance Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...
. After decades of demands for renaming the Petersallee in Berlin, spearheaded by African and BPoC activists, the street was renamed on 23 August 2024. One part became Maji-Maji-Allee, in remembrance of the Maji-Maji War, the other was baptised Anna-Mungunda-Street, in honour of Anna Mungunda, a Namibian hero of the Anti-Apartheid Struggle.


Notes


References

* Norbert Aas, Werena Rosenke (Hg.): ''Kolonialgeschichte im Familienalbum. Frühe Fotos aus der Kolonie Deutsch-Ostafrika''. . In this book, Werena Rosenke devotes an extensive essay to Carl Peters. * E. Salburg: ''Karl Peters und sein Volk''. Duncker Verlag, 1929 * Winfried Speitkamp: "Totengedenken als Berlin-Kritik. Der Kult um die Kolonialpioniere". In Ulrich van der Heyden, Joachim Zeller (Ed.) ''"... Macht und Anteil an der Weltherrschaft." Berlin und der deutsche Kolonialismus''. Unrast-Verlag. Münster 2005, * Hermann Krätschell: ''Carl Peters 1856–1918. Ein Beitrag zur Publizistik des imperialistischen Nationalismus in Deutschland'', Berlin-Dahlem 1959. Doctoral thesis discussing Peters's impact on journalism in view of Nazism, which developed later. * Arne Perras: ''Carl Peters and German Imperialism 1856–1918. A Political Biography'', Clarendon Press, Oxford 2004. . Exhaustive biography of Peters with a dissertation on his political weight in view of Bismarck's colonial politics; research includes sources only recently made available. * Peter Rohrbacher
Deutsche Missionsinitiativen am Campo Santo Teutonico: Die Missionsbenediktiner in Deutsch-Ostafrika und die Nordischen Missionen
in Stefan Heid und Karl-Joseph Hummel (Hg.), Päpstlichkeit & Patriotismus. Der Campo Santo Teutonico: Ort der Deutschen in Rom zwischen Risorgimento und Erstem Weltkrieg (1870–1918) (''Römische Quartalschrift für Christliche Altertumskunde und Kirchengeschichte'') 113, 2 (2018), 613–643 * Sarè, Constant Kpao, "Abuses of German Colonial History: The Character of Carl Peters as Weapon for ''völkisch'' and National Socialist Discourses: Anglophobia, Anti-Semitism and Aryanism," in Michael Perraudin and Jürgen Zimmerer (eds), ''German Colonialism and National Identity'' (New York: Routledge, 2011), p. 160-172. * John W. East (ed. & trans.),
Carl Peters in German East Africa (Tanzania), 1884-1892: A Collection of Primary Historical Sources
' (2024).


External links


Biografie
(In German, at homepage of
German Historical Museum The German Historical Museum (), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans". It is ofte ...
)
Paper on the German colonial policy by the example of German East Africa (In German)
*
Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon ''Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon'' is the German title for the ''Encyclopedia of German colonies'' which was published in 1920. The text had been finished by 1914 before World War I but was not printed due to the war. Thus it gives a wide range of in ...
br>Letter P – Peters (In German)




* ttp://www.afrika-hamburg.de/peters.html Das Geschichtsprojekt Afrika-Hamburg about Peters (in German)
Bequest of Carl Peters in the archive of 'Märkischer Kreis'
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Carl 1856 births 1918 deaths People from Lüneburg (district) People from the Kingdom of Hanover Governors of German East Africa German people in German East Africa German explorers of Africa German mass murderers German murderers of children German rapists German torturers German war criminals Alldeutscher Verband members University of Göttingen alumni University of Tübingen alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni White supremacists