Germanic lands from the 16th century onwardsought to domination in Europe. To do this, they had to compete with such powers as England, France, Spain and the Russian Empire. Each of these states owned its own colonies around the world, which gave great advantages. Colonies of Germany appeared much later than in other countries.
The reason for this was the geographical location, the fragmentation of German lands and other external factors.
First colonies
Until the 18th century, the German people did not havenational state. Legally, most of the territories of the so-called German world (land inhabited by Germans) were part of the Holy Roman Empire and were subordinate to the emperor. But de facto the central government was very weak, each principality had a great autonomy and itself established the order of local government. In such conditions it was practically impossible to colonize other lands, which required huge amounts of money and effort. Therefore, the first German colony was "donated."
The king of Spain, who was also part ofHoly Roman Empire, Karl borrowed a huge amount by the standards of those times from the banking houses of the state of Brandenburg. As a precaution and a pledge in fact, Karl gave his colony to the Germans - Venezuela. In Germany, this land became known as Klein-Venedig. The Germans appointed their governors and controlled the allocation of resources. Spain also exempted traders from the duty on salt.
Problems
The first experience was very unfortunate.The German proteges on the ground practically did not deal with organizational matters, they were interested only in profit. Therefore, everyone was engaged in robbery and a rapid increase in their own state. Nobody wanted to see a prospect in the development of a new land, the construction of cities or the creation of at least primitive social institutions. Mainly German colonizers were engaged in slave trade and resource extraction. The Spanish king was told that the governors of the settlements were pursuing inappropriate policies, but Karl could not act decisively, since he still had to go to the Augsburg. But German lawlessness caused active resistance from the Spanish settlers and indigenous Indians.
The success of the uprisings, as well as the general decline of the Little Venice, forced Karl to take possession of the Germans.
New colonies
After this incident, the German colonies receivedcompetent managers. However, the lack of resources somehow affected the amount of land, so the main territorial acquisitions were obtained at the expense of other empires. By the beginning of the 19th century, it was rather difficult to obtain land, since there were hundreds of interstate treaties that distributed zones of influence between the already existing metropolises. The former colonies of Germany gained wide autonomy.
But on coming to power, Otto von Bismarck of the colonyGermany already existed. These were small lands in Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. Most of them were received as a result of cooperation with other European countries. Many are bought or rented for money.
Colonies of Germany before the First World War
The beginning of the "iron" Chancellorwas marked by a departure from the colonist policies. Bismarck saw this as a huge threat to Germany, since there was very little unexplored land, and the empires increased their possessions, the German colonies could become a stumbling block with Britain, France, Russia. Bismarck’s policy was based on peace-loving relations with other countries. And the economic benefits of the colonies were very doubtful, so it was decided to abandon them altogether. Although some individuals still colonized near Africa. The colonies of Germany there were mainly in the center of the mainland.
After the departure of Bismarck from the post of Chancellor in Germanyagain raised the question of the colonies. Wilhelm II promised a state protectorate to all colonizers. This has somewhat stimulated the process, especially in Africa and Asia. This trend was observed until the beginning of the war. For almost 4 years, practically the entire German economy worked exclusively for the front. Under such conditions, financing and stimulation of the colonies was impossible. And after the defeat in the war and the Versailles Peace Treaty, the allies divided among themselves all the colonies of Germany. The 20th century finally deprived the German lands of the status of the metropolis.
