The first genocide of the 20th century

Abstract

This article is about the genocide of the Herero and Namaqua tribes of Namibia by the Germans. Many people, including Pope Francis, refer to the Armenian armistice as the first genocide of the last century. With this work I intend to pay homage not only to the indigenous tribes of Namibia, who suffered various atrocities at the hands of the Germans, but also to the other African peoples who were subjugated and many of them annihilated at the hands of the Europeans. I will also demonstrate the various and divergent visions of each people; make a comparison between "cultured/civilised" versus "uncultured/savage" peoples; and demonstrate the elitist, racist and prejudiced perspective of European society at the beginning of the 20th century. This is a subject that cannot and should not be forgotten, as it portrays an event that vilely marked a country, a people, a culture and that, still today, suffers the repercussions of those atrocities; something that is rooted not only in the daily life of those same people, but also in their mentality.