South Africa if Germany won WW1

[Friedrich der Große]

What would happen to South Africa if Germany won World War I? Would it have less British influence and more German or even Dutch influence, and become a sort of new Boer Republic or would the history of South Africa be totally similar as in OTL?

How would the relations between SA and The Netherlands, SA and Germany and SA and Britain be? And furthermore, how would language in SA develop?

Or do you have some other suggestions?

Thoughts?

 

[Hugh Third of Five]

It would still be a British dominion. Germany can't project enough power to break Britain's hold. If there's another war, then depending on the nature of the CP victory, it might be wrested from Britain.

 

[Friedrich der Große]

It would still be a British dominion. Germany can't project enough power to break Britain's hold. If there's another war, then depending on the nature of the CP victory, it might be wrested from Britain.

And what would happen to it then?

 

[Lalli]

SA indeed would continue as being British dominion. But Boer nationalism would rise even more rapidly since many South Africans would had been killed for nothing.

 

[kham_coc]

It would still be a British dominion. Germany can't project enough power to break Britain's hold.

Then German troops won't ever leave the channel coast. If its a negotiation, that's the leverage. Though personally I think that a Germany that's victorious in ww1, unless we are talking some very early victories, will regard securing the channel coast and French Atlantic coast as strategic objectives of far more value than any colonies.

 

[WildBoulder]

In the negotiations for the colonial division of Africa, South West Africa (too far away for the Reich to recover) would probably still be ceded to South Africa, in exchange for British recognition of German sovereignty over territories such as the Congo or Togo. South West Africa would thus be fully incorporated as a province into the Union of South Africa, instead of being administered as a mandate.

Jan Smuts would also like to start a reconciliation process with Germany in the 20s, which could lead to South Africa falling into the arms of the new world power, with a very high German immigration to South Africa (Germany having lost fewer men in this reality, it would have a greater demographic surplus to get rid of), a German corporate takeover of South African resources and a significant Germanization of South African culture.

I could even see the Afrikaner community, in the end, having German as a second mother tongue and becoming bilingual, because all these German immigrants would join the Afrikaner community rather than the Anglo community, this would boost the power of the Afrikaners and could well result in the nationalists' takeover, with the support of the Reich, as soon as the 30s...

 

[Noblesse Oblige]

SA indeed would continue as being British dominion. But Boer nationalism would rise even more rapidly since many South Africans would had been killed for nothing.

^ This, plus in addition, the Boer Nationalists are far closer to the Germans than they are to the British (having supported the Boer Republics in the Second Boer War and supported the Maritz Rebellion would probably do that).

 

[marktaha]

Maybe breaks up into its various provinces?

 

[Catspoke]

The most interesting scenario would be a German victory on the western front, encircling a French army or two, Germany gives generous terms, gain some colonial territory and reparations from the French, things the British can live with so the war shuts down in 1914.

So the Boer nationalist revolt is on, enhanced by German success, and the Germans still control South West Africa.

A late war German victory would be less interesting because Germany isn't getting their colonies back, South Africa, already controls Namibia, German gains in East Europe, offset the German losses, so things are settled about Africa.

 

[Lalli]

The most interesting scenario would be a German victory on the western front, encircling a French army or two, Germany gives generous terms, gain some colonial territory and reparations from the French, things the British can live with so the war shuts down in 1914.

So the Boer nationalist revolt is on, enhanced by German success, and the Germans still control South West Africa.

A late war German victory would be less interesting because Germany isn't getting their colonies back, South Africa, already controls Namibia, German gains in East Europe, offset the German losses, so things are settled about Africa.

There is not realistic way how Germans can put their foot to South Africa. Even if Germany manages to win in West in 1914/15 is bit stretched but it is still totally impossible to get Boers to win their mutiny. Now Brits would have even more forces to crush them. Germany just can't do with that anything.