A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...
A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...
A Deterritorialized History: Investigating German Colonialism ...
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also pressed by the private sector to acquire colonies to guarantee raw materials and<br />
additional markets. Furthermore, Bismarck saw the colonies as a tool for European<br />
diplomatic wrangling and an outlet for <strong>German</strong> emigration.<br />
While the government began to see the benefits of colonies, the public became<br />
more aware of colonies through the work of the colonial propagandists. For example, the<br />
<strong>German</strong> Colonial Society or Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft (hereafter DKG), while small<br />
in membership, was loud in demanding the necessity of colonies. 47 The public began to<br />
believe that a colonial policy could generate great profits, especially if conducted on the<br />
British model. The promises advanced by European colonial adventurers of an “El<br />
Dorado” in the far reaches of Africa soon reached the <strong>German</strong> populace. Consequently,<br />
the population, especially the middle class, began to identify the potential benefits of<br />
<strong>German</strong> colonies. This combination of diplomatic, commercial and nationalistic<br />
motivations proved enough to push Bismarck toward a policy of colonial expansion.<br />
It is necessary to sketch the development of <strong>German</strong> colonial sentiment in order to<br />
provide some background to the entire history of the colonial expansion. <strong>German</strong>y itself<br />
had not previously been a significant force in world trade though some of the Hanseatic<br />
cities had traded overseas. The first colonial enterprise was a trading post and transport<br />
hub established on the Gulf of Guinea by the Brandenburg trade federation in 1682.<br />
After the loss in 1717 of this territory, the only other initiative in the pre-history of<br />
colonial expansion was the installation of missionary outposts on the coasts of Africa<br />
such as the Bethany mission station in southwest Africa half a century before the<br />
government’s acquisition. The rapid doubling of <strong>German</strong> territory after 1884 therefore<br />
raises questions about the motivations behind this expansion.<br />
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