Germany

in 1888 Germany acquired the right of collecting duties on the coast....

The country now known as Tanganyika came under German influence largely through the initiative of Dr. Karl Peters. In 1885, the land which Peters had acquired was placed under the protection of the Imperial German Government. A 10-mile belt along the coast was recognised as belonging to Zanzibar, but in 1888 Germany acquired the right of collecting duties on the coast and in 1890 took over the coastal strip on payment of £200,000 to the Sultan of Zanzibar.

The records of the former Colonial Office are the second major source for this book. Apart from military, personal, and railway records, they are substantially complete, and are open without restriction until at least 1914.

The reference system is a simple series numbering, recently superimposed on the original system. Indispensable to a study of German colonial policy, the records are nevertheless weak on the internal affairs of German East Africa. The archive also holds the records of the Chancellery (valuable for interdepartmental negotioations), the Reichstag (including the proceedings of the key Budget Commission), and the German Colonial Society.