Germanic lands since the 16th century have tirelessly sought to dominate Europe. To do this, they had to compete with such powers as England, France, Spain and the Russian Empire. Each of these states owned their own colonies around the world, which gave huge advantages. Germany's colonies appeared much later than those of 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 have a nation-state. Legally, most of the territories of the so-called Germanic world (lands inhabited by Germans) were part of the Holy Roman Empire and subordinated to the emperor. But de facto, the central government was very weak, each principality had great autonomy and itself established the rules of local self-government. Under such conditions, it was practically impossible to carry out the colonization of other lands, which required huge funds and efforts. Therefore, the first German colony was "donated".
The King of Spain, which was also part of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles borrowed a huge amount by the standards of those times from bankinghouses of the state of Brandenburg. As a precautionary measure and in fact a pledge, Karl gave the Germans his colony - Venezuela. In Germany, this land became known as Klein-Venedig. The Germans appointed their own governors and controlled the distribution of resources. Spain also exempted merchants from duties on s alt.
Problems
The first experience was very unsuccessful. German proteges on the ground practically did not deal with organizational issues, they were only interested in profit. Therefore, everyone was engaged in robbery and a rapid increase in his own fortune. No one wanted to see the prospect of developing new land, building cities, or creating at least primitive social institutions. Mainly the German colonizers were engaged in the slave trade and pumping out resources. The Spanish king was informed that the governors of the settlements were pursuing inappropriate policies, but Charles could not act decisively, since he still owed the Augsburgs. But the German lawlessness caused active resistance from the Spanish settlers and native Indians.
A series of uprisings, as well as the general decline of Little Venice, forced Charles to take possession from the Germans.
New Colonies
German colonies after this incident received competent managers. However, the lack of resources somehow affected the amount of land, so the main territorial acquisitions were received 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 thatdistributed zones of influence between already existing metropolises. The former colonies of Germany received broad autonomy.
But by the time Otto von Bismarck came to power, German colonies already existed. These were small lands in Africa, the Caribbean, South America. Most of them were obtained as a result of cooperation with other European countries. Many are bought or rented with money.
German colonies before WWI
The beginning of the reign of the "iron" chancellor was marked by a departure from the colonist policy. Bismarck saw this as a huge threat to Germany, since there were very few unexplored lands left, and empires increased their possessions, Germany's colonies could become a stumbling block with Britain, France, Russia. Bismarck's policy was based on peaceful 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 carried out the colonization of near Africa. The German colonies there were mainly in the center of the mainland.
After Bismarck left the post of Chancellor in Germany, the issue of colonies was raised again. Wilhelm II promised a state protectorate to all colonizers. This somewhat stimulated the process, especially in Africa and Asia. This trend was observed until the beginning of the war. For 4 whole years, almost the entire German economy worked exclusively for the front. Under such conditions, the financing and stimulation of the colonies were impossible. And after the defeat in the war and the Treaty of Versailles, the allies divided among themselves all the colonies of Germany. The 20th century finally deprived the German lands of the status of a metropolis.
