Reichskommissariat Zentralafrika

Reich Commissariat of Central Africa Reichskommissariat Zentralafrika
The Flag of Reichskommissariat Zentralafrika
Flag of the Germanic Reich TAG = COG
Politics
Capital	Léopoldville
Ruling Party	General Office for Central African Affairs
Head of State	Reichskommissar Siegfried Müller
Diplomacy
Sphere	Grossraum Kontinentaleuropa
Foreign Alignment	Autonomous Reichskommissariat, Einheitspakt
Economy
GDP	WIP
Credit Rating	WIP
Market Type	WIP

Reichskommissariat Zentralafrika is a colonial holding of the Greater Germanic Reich, sitting in the heart of Africa. It is one of the 3 Reichskommissariats in Africa, having been carved out of former European colonies as part of the peace settlement between the defeated Allied Powers and the victorious Germanic Reich.

It is administered by Reichskommissar Siegfried Müller, a famous hero, seen on television frequently. In reality however, Zentralafrika acts more as Müller's fiefdom, with day to day administration run by Rolf Steiner, whilst he goes on safari trips to hunt big game and adventuring.

History

Pre-War History

Initially, the territory of Zentralafrika was populated by a number of tribes, the most powerful being the Kingdom of Kongo, from which the modern name of the Congo lake and rainforest takes its name.

During the Scramble for Africa, the Congo was a much-coveted territory by nearly all European powers. Ultimately, however, it was decided to hand over the territory to King Leopold II of Belgium as his own personal fief to settle the dispute. Leopold brutally exploited the rubber resources of the Congo, to such an extent that following the publication of the novel Heart of Darkness in 1899, the Belgian government would ultimately end up seizing the territory from Leopold in 1909, although notably, the brutality under the Belgian government was not significantly less than that under Leopold.

Briefly in 1940, the Congo Free State would become the home of the Belgian Government-in-Exile until German forces arrived and subjugated African colonies granted to them in the peace following the Second World War, the Congo (renamed to Kongo) being earmarked as one of the territories taken. The lands of the Congo would be handed to the Germans by the Belgians.

Now in the hands of the Germans, they would carve out their new colonial holdings from the Belgian Congo Free State as they saw fit. It was there that Reichkommissariat Zentralafrika was born.

A Rising Star

During the Nazi's quest to subjugate and colonise Africa, and the eventual bush war in the Congo against their efforts, a rising star from the ranks, Oberleutnant Siegfried Müller proved himself useful in pacifying the region. This was done through hiring or coercing at gunpoint - Congolese tribespeople to inflitrate and assist in destroying the resistance cells, as well as act as guides through the unfamilar terrain.

These methods earned him much fame and distinction, and as his reward he was promoted to Reichskommisar of Zentralafrika.

Allegedly, due to his connections and kickbacks as Reichskommisar, Müller's acquired wealth was so large that he would routinely boast about how he didn't need men to put down any rebellions. Instead he would simply pay off the rebels to join his army instead, completely averting rebellions with the wave of his hand and a wad of cash.

The Golden Years

Under his leadership, Zentralafrika would quickly grow to be one of the most profitable Reichskommisariats of the Reich.

Open to foreign exploitation, many German companies would flock to the resource-rich Katanga region, taking advantage of its natural resources and cheap labour.

At some time in the 50s prior to the German economic crash, the Congo river would be dammed, resulting in the basin flooding over. The human toll from the damming of the river was severe, especially amongst the local natives who drowned or lost their homes as a result. However, with the Congo dam planted, irrigation and access to water was readily available, allowing the growth of large plantations of cash crops surrounding the lake, which were extremely profitable..

Zentralafrika's profits would drop somewhat due to the economic crash and stagnation of the Reich in the mid-50s, partly due to a drop in investments into the region as a whole. However, like it's sister state Reichskommissariat Ostafrika, they would be the only parts of the German economy to turn a surplus and generate profits.