Since the 16th century, German lands tirelessly sought dominance 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 their own colonies around the world, which gave huge advantages. German colonies 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 have a nation state. Legally, most of the territories of the so-called German world (lands inhabited by Germans) were part of the Holy Roman Empire and were subordinate to the emperor. But the de facto central authority was very weak, each principality had great autonomy and itself established the rules of local self-government. In such conditions, it was almost impossible to colonize other lands, which required enormous funds and efforts. Therefore, the first German colony turned out to be “donated”.
The king of Spain, who was also part of the Holy Roman Empire, Karl borrowed a huge amount by the standards of those times from the banking houses 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-Wenedig. The Germans appointed their governors and controlled the distribution of resources. Spain also exempted merchants from the duty on salt.
Problems
The first experience was very unsuccessful. German local proteges practically did not deal with organizational issues, they were only interested in profit. Therefore, everyone was engaged in robbery and the rapid increase in their own condition. No one wanted to see the prospect of developing a new land, building cities or creating at least primitive social institutions. Mostly the German colonialists engaged in the slave trade and pumping out resources. It was reported to the Spanish king that the governors of the settlements pursued inappropriate policies, but Karl could not act decisively, since he still owed the Augsburgs. But German lawlessness caused strong resistance from the Spanish settlers and Native Indians.
The course of the uprisings, as well as the general decline of Lesser Venice, forced Karl to take back the possessions from the Germans.
New colonies
German colonies after this incident received competent managers. However, the lack of resources in one way or another affected the volume of land, so the main territorial acquisitions received at the expense of other empires. By the beginning of the 19th century it was quite difficult to obtain land, since there were hundreds of interstate treaties that distributed zones of influence between existing metropolises. Former German colonies gained wide autonomy.
But when Otto von Bismarck came to power, German colonies already existed. These were small lands in Africa, the Caribbean, 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 reign of the “iron” chancellor was marked by a departure from colonial policy. Bismarck saw this as a huge threat to Germany, since there were very few unexplored lands, and empires increased their holdings, German colonies could become a stumbling block with Britain, France, and Russia. Bismarck's policy was based on peaceful relations with other countries. And the economic benefit of the colonies was very doubtful, so it was decided to completely abandon them. Although some private individuals nevertheless colonized near Africa. The German colonies there were mainly in the center of the mainland.
After Bismarck left the post of chancellor in Germany, the question of the colonies was again raised. Wilhelm II promised a state protectorate to all the colonialists. This stimulated the process somewhat, especially in Africa and Asia. This trend was observed until the outbreak of war. For 4 years, almost the entire German economy worked exclusively for the front. In such circumstances, financing and stimulation of 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 completely deprived German lands of the status of a metropolis.