The German overseas empire, founded in 1884 and defunct in 1915, lasted a mere 30 years, and is thus one of the most short-lived of all modern colonialisms. Consequently, it has not occupied centre-stage in most accounts, both of European imperialism, and of German history itself. The colonial experience was deemed marginal and insignificant, compared to the long histories of other empires. But in the 1880s, following Britain, France, and the Netherlands, Germany acquired the fourth largest colonial empire at the time. It was a significant and integral part of the period of high imperialism before World War I. For anyone interested in a comparative and global perspective on modern Empires, the German example is in many ways an instructive and illuminating case.
The historiography of the German empire, however, has remained tied to the national history paradigm. First, Germany and her colonies have usually been treated as separate entities – as if Germany itself was not affected by the imperialist experience. And second, for many good reasons, German colonialism has been narrated “inside out”. That is, the point of departure for historical analysis has been the German Colonial Office, German public opinion, and the colonized territories – and then historians have looked at the links to other empires and beyond. In his talk, Sebastian Conrad will ask what we can gain if we inserted Germany’s colonial past more thoroughly in a global context.
Rethinking German colonialism in a global age allows us to see clearer the imperial dimensions of German history. It brings into relief the colonial dimensions of German rule in Eastern Europe, moves the focus beyond the formal protectorates, and helps recognize the way in which Germany was one empire among others. Analytically, a global history perspective emphasizes synchronic contexts, beyond the boundaries of formal territorial rule, instead of assuming longstanding continuities within the empire. And inserting theKaiserreich into the larger global context also moves analysis beyond a strictly internalist framework. Forces and actors within and beyond the empire have contributed to the trajectories of imperial Germany.