Model colony

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Model colony was a term used by colonial powers to refer to colonies that particularly met the demands and expectations of the motherland . As a rule, it was therefore not a self-ascription of the colonized, but an external ascription or an objective of the colonialists, who largely disregarded the value standards of the locals.

German "model colonies"

“Tsingtau then and now” - infrastructure as a symbol of the model colony

Among the colonies ( protected areas ) of the German Empire , three areas were regarded as so-called model colonies :

Among other things, the comparatively favorable trade balances of the colonies were regarded as exemplary. If possible, they should be self-sufficient through their own surpluses, i.e. in the long term without Reich grants. Samoa and Togo came relatively close to this goal. In contrast to German East Africa and South West Africa, no major anti-colonial uprisings took place in the model colonies . In addition, the establishment of a familiar infrastructure as well as a health system and cultural life was considered exemplary, as was expressed, for example, in the European quarter of Tsingtau (Kiautschou).

Usage today

The term is rarely used today, mostly in historical contexts. It is often put in quotation marks .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilfried Westphal: History of the German colonies . Bindlach: Gondrom, 1991, p. 351, ISBN 3-8112-0905-1 .

literature

  • Peter Sebald : Togo 1884–1914. A history of the German “model colony” based on official sources . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1988.
  • Mechthild Leutner (Ed.): "Kiautschou Model Colony". The expansion of the German Empire in China. German-Chinese relations 1897–1914. A collection of sources. Academy, Berlin 1997.
  • Jonas Bakoubayi Billy: Model Colony of the Racial State : Togo in Colonial Political Propaganda and Planning in Germany 1919-1943 . JH Röll, Dettelbach 2011.

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