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The new nations of Germany and Italy were late to the colonial game, but built small empires. Germany was not unified until 1871. It is only after that time that Germans could think about building an overseas empire. An even then Germany did not immediaitely set upon empire building, in part because Bismarck did not see it as advisable. Other Germans, however, craved a colonial empire. The young Kaiser Wilhelm II in particular wanted both a modern highseas fleet and colonial empire. The Kaiser began building a modern navy, but the the potential for empire was limited because much of the world had alreadby been carved up by the older, established colonial powers. Germany in the late-19th century acquired a number of scattered colonies in both Africa and the Pacific. The German colonies were mostly largely unsettled lands of little interest to the other European powers. Germany did not retain its new colonies very long. After World War I broke out, Britain's command of the sea allowed it to seize the various German colonies. Japan participated in this effort in the Pacific. The Versailles Treaty stripped Germany of its colonies assigning trusteeships to Australia, Britain, Belgium, France, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. Japan proceeeded to fortify the Pacific islands it obtained. Truk became the Gibraltar of the Pacific. While virttually unknown to the general public, these islands became important in the World War II Pacific campaign (1941-45). The revanchist spirit of the NAZIs included a desire to regain the lost colonies, but NAZI foreign policy restrained this initiative. Hitler's desire was for colonies in the East. Before launching on that enterrprise, however, there was one little-remembered NAZI colonial adventure--Neuschwabenland (New Swabia). Antarctica was in the 1930s the only part of the world that had not been colonized. The NAZIs conducted an Antarctic expedition (1939). SS Commander Himmler launched exotic expeditions to the Himilayas. It was Reich Füherer Hermann Göring who backed the Antarctic expedition. It was commanded by Captain Alfred Ritscher. The German airline Lufthansa at Himler's behest provided one of its ships, the Schwabenland for the expedition. The vessel was a ‘catapult ship’ used as a cargo and mail ship in the South Atlantic and was capable of launching small aircraft.
The German states before unifification did mot have navies capanle of founding nd supporting overseas colonies. Germany as a modern nation was created after the Prussian victory in the Franco Prussian War (1871). It is only after unification that Germans could think about building an overseas empire.
The new nations of Germany and Italy were late to the colonial game, but built small empires.
An even then Germany did not immediaitely set upon empire building, in part because Bismarck did not see it as advisable.
Other Germans, however, craved a colonial empire. The young Kaiser Wilhelm II in particular wanted both a modern highseas fleet and colonial empire. The Kaiser began building a modern navy, but the the potential for empire was limited because much of the world had alreadby been carved up by the older, established colonial powers.
The German Empire in the late-19th century acquired a number of scattered colonies in both Africa and the Pacific. The German colonies were mostly largely unsettled lands of little interest to the other European powers.
As a result unlike the other major European countries, Germany did not have the opportunity to carve out a large colonian empire. The Germans did join the grab for Africa, seizing Camaroons, German East Africa (modern Tanzania), Southwest Africa (modern Namibia) (1884) and Togo. The Germans also seized a large also seized a large area of the South Pacicic, including northeastern New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and island groups to the northeast, the Carolines, Marianas, Marshalls, and Samoa as well as Nauru (1885-99). The Germans in addition seized a Chinese port city--Tsingtau (1898). This was one of the so clled treaty ports.
Germany did not retain its new colonies very long. After World War I broke out, Britain's command of the sea allowed it to seize the various German colonies. Japan participated in this effort in the Pacific. The Versailles Treaty stripped Germany of its colonies assigning trusteeships to Australia, Britain, Belgium, France, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. Japan proceeeded to fortify the Pacific islands it obtained. Truk became the Gibraltar of the Pacific. While virttually unknown to the general public, these islands became important in the World War II Pacific campaign (1941-45). as far as I know there is no significant German population or influence remaining in any of these colonies. Namimbia may be a minor exception.
The revanchist spirit of the NAZIs included a desire to regain the lost colonies, but NAZI foreign policy restrained this initiative. Hitler's desire was for colonies in the East. Before launching on that enterrprise, however, there was one little-remembered NAZI colonial adventure--Neuschwabenland (New Swabia). Antarctica was in the 1930s the only part of the world that had not been colonized. The NAZIs conducted an Antarctic expedition (1939). SS Commander Himmler launched exotic expeditions to the Himilayas. It was Reich Füherer Hermann Göring who backed the Antarctic expedition. It was commanded by Captain Alfred Ritscher. The German airline Lufthansa at Himler's behest provided one of its ships, the Schwabenland for the expedition. The vessel was a ‘catapult ship’ used as a cargo and mail ship in the South Atlantic and was capable of launching small aircraft. The NAZIs were unable to launch a second expedition because of the outbreak of World War II (1939-45). After the War, Norway assumed a protectorate over the area the NAZIs had surveyed and claimed, annexing it to Queen Maud Land (1945). The Antarctic Treaty froze all existing territorial claims (1957). Norway named its new acquisition after princesses Martha, Raghnild and Astrid. The Federal Republic of Germany exercised its right, based on the 1939 NAZI explorations, to name geographical features in the area (1952). The current German polar research station ‘Georg von Neumayer’ is located in what was once Neuschwabenland.
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