author
Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft. Kolonial-Wirtschaftliches Komitee
A key organization in Germany’s colonial movement, this committee focused on the economic development of the empire’s overseas territories through research, publications, and commercial planning. Its work offers a revealing window into how science, business, and colonial ambition were closely linked in the early 20th century.
1 Audiobook
Westafrikanische Kautschuk-Expedition
by Rudolf Schlechter, Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft. Kolonial-Wirtschaftliches Komitee
About the author
Founded in 1896, the Kolonial-Wirtschaftliches Komitee was created to promote the economic exploitation of Germany’s colonies. It later served as the economic advisory arm of the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft, especially from 1902 onward, while presenting itself as focused on practical and commercial questions rather than overt colonial politics.
The committee supported agricultural and trade projects, organized expeditions, encouraged plantation and resource development, and published reports and reference works on colonial products and infrastructure. Its activities connected merchants, scientists, officials, and lobby groups, helping shape the economic side of German colonial policy.
Today, the committee is mainly remembered through its publications and archival records, which document the ambitions and systems behind German colonial expansion. For readers, works issued under its name can be valuable historical sources for understanding how colonial enterprises were researched, justified, and organized.