audio guide english

at eye level

The role of Otto von Bismarck in German colonial politics using the example of the Bismarck Archipelago

Otto von Bismarck, who is depicted in this equestrian statue, was Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1890. Bismarck's political and economic decisions regarding German colonial policy stand in stark contrast to his rather reserved speeches and promises.

He was one of the political pioneers who made the German colonial empire the third largest in the world by area by the beginning of the First World War.

As German Chancellor, he convened the so-called Congo Conference in November 1884, which enforced the division of the African continent by European empires and colonial powers. On the one hand, Bismarck acted as the great mediator within Europe; on the other, he consolidated the German colonial empire created in the same year.

On April 24, 1884, Bismarck informed the Bremen based merchant Adolf Lüderitz by telegram that his overseas possessions would be placed under the protection of the German Empire. This decision marked the creation of the first formal colony of the German Empire.

In its largest form, this comprised: Parts of the present-day states of Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Namibia, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, China, Papua New Guinea and several islands in the Western Pacific such as Samoa. Papua New Guinea still includes the Bismarck Archipelago, named after the German Chancellor in 1885, and the adjacent Bismarck Sea.

Bismarck's efforts to make the colonies as attractive as possible for entrepreneurs resulted in the enactment of the "Protectorates Act" of 1886, according to which the German colonial empire, which was divided into so-called protectorates, was under the control of the Foreign Relations Office. In this context, "protection" meant that the German interests and people in the colonies were under German military protection.

The Protectorates Act of 1886 regulated all forms of administration: The Reich Chancellor had the right to issue administrative decrees for the colonies. For the population of the colonies, this meant foreign rule by the German Emperor, the Imperial Chancellor and the colonial officials.

This legislation also defined the status of the indigenous population: They were neither German citizens nor nationals of the empire.

They were given a special legal status as so-called "natives". The legal segregation between Germans and so-called natives reinforced racial segregation in the colonies.

The legislation and the attitude of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck enabled the entrepreneurs of the German Empire to gain land and resources and resulted in wealth and entrepreneurial success.

For the indigenous population in the German colonies, the Chancellor's decisions and laws formed the basis for structural and direct violence, economic exploitation and racist oppression in a commercial imperialism characterized by greed and exploitation.

The region around the Bismarck Archipelago and the adjacent Bismarck Sea in present-day Papua New Guinea experienced 38 punitive expeditions under Bismarck's chancellorship. These missions were characterized by extreme military violence, the indigenous population was to be punished collectively and in some cases also preventively.

In total, there were around 196 punitive expeditions during the period of German colonial rule in the Western Pacific from 1875-1914. However, experts estimate that the number of unreported cases of these violent activities is around 300.

These military operations carried out by the Imperial Navy, local police forces and associations of the white population brought terrible atrocities to the region. In his research on the aims of the missions, Alexander Krug stated that the aim was - quote: "to extinguish human lives - regardless of their personal guilt" and that the character of the collective punishment took - quote: "in individual cases, forms of genocide" - Krug, 2005

It was common practice for warships to maneuver off the coast and fire grenades and artillery from the water. The police troops were known for mercilessly enforcing their orders. They did not stop at the murder of women or children, and there were also repeated cases of rape. An important economic factor for the colonial government was labor.

According to the Foreign Relations Office, 18,511 people were contracted and transported to the plantations or their places of work between 1887 and 1903. However, the inaccuracy of this figure is already made clear in an accompanying letter; in reality, it is likely to have been much higher. Many of the "recruitment measures" were accompanied by false pretexts and the threat and use of violence, which is why the term "recruitment" is highly problematic from today's perspective. The forcible and fraudulent recruitment and abduction of exploited workers took place throughout Germany's colonial rule. Many workers never returned to their villages, many died or fled from the inhumane working conditions on the plantations.

The crimes committed by the German colonial power, the foundations of which were laid in the laws of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, still have an impact on the societies affected by them today. Millions of people suffered extreme physical and psychological violence and had to mourn the loss of their homes, families and friends. The systematic exploitation, oppression and use of violence has left deep scars that are still manifested in social, economic and political structures today.