Consequences of the Uprising The consequences of the Maji-Maji uprising were social, political and economic in nature. Some of them were positive but generally many of them were negative. 1. MajiMajiRebelionled to heavy depopulation of southern Tanganyika. . About 75,000 people were estimated dead. 2. A lot of property was destroyed during the uprising for example cotton plants on German farms were uprooted and destroyed. A lot of buildings occupied by Germans in coastal town of Samanga were burnt to the ground. The Germans also burnt the villages of the Matumbi, Wagindo and the Ngoni. 3. Insecurity disrupted economic activities in southern Tanganyika. Trade and commerce could not prosper anymore. People deserted their homes and agriculture. It eventually led to severe famine and increased death rates. 4. Confidence in African traditional chiefs was lost especially the medicine-men and prophetKinjiKitile because their tactics had failed. Many Africans lost lives because the magic water could not protect them against the German bullets. 5. The German colonial government learnt a lot from the uprising. A new Governor Rechenburg was appointed to Tanganyika. He introduced administrative and economic reforms such as abolishing forced labor, relaxed taxes and appointed Africans to administrative posts. 6. The Africans equally learnt a lot from the uprising. They realized that the Germans were better organized and militarily superior to them. They discovered the mistakes in their organization hence rather than fight, they resorted to use of diplomacy and negotiations with the Germans. It took long before Africans picked up arms to fight the Germans again. 7. The Africans generally lost in their wars of resistance to the Germans. The German colonial administration reinforced its military force for effective security, law and order. Thus African societies were finally colonized. 8. The uprising also inspired future nationalism in Tanganyika. The mistakes of the early revolutionary leaders and the poor methods of organization were later corrected to give the people of Tanganyika more effective leadership for example leaders like Julius Nyerere gained a lot from the failure of Maji-Maji uprising. He
used these lessons to form a national political party called TANU. It was this TANU that finally led Tanganyika to independence. 9. Also the scotched earth policy used by the Germans caused permanent destruction of civilian farms and livestock. 10. The Germans proved winners because of their superior weaponry. 11. Other changes such as abolition of public flogging, granting freedom of Africans were introduced. Taxation policies were stopped, schools were built for Africans and many native chiefs were encouraged to send their children to school. 12. Germans started to use a system of indirect rule that was similar to that of the British. The African chiefs were allowed to rule their people with the advice and supervision from the Germans. 13. Many leaders of the uprising were hanged and those who managed to escape ran to Mozambique