author
Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft. Kolonial-Wirtschaftliches Komitee
A major force in Germany’s colonial movement, this committee focused on the economic development of the German colonies through research, publications, and practical projects. Closely linked to the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft, it helped shape how colonial expansion was promoted in business and agricultural terms.
1 Audiobook
Westafrikanische Kautschuk-Expedition
by Rudolf Schlechter, Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft. Kolonial-Wirtschaftliches Komitee
About the author
Founded in Berlin in 1896, the Kolonial-Wirtschaftliches Komitee was created to support the economic exploitation of Germany’s colonies. Its work centered on scientific studies, publications, research journeys, and advocacy aimed at making colonial territories more profitable and useful to German trade and industry.
From 1902 onward, it served as the Wirtschaftlicher Ausschuß der Deutschen Kolonialgesellschaft, acting as the economic advisory body of the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft rather than focusing directly on colonial politics. The broader Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft itself had been formed in 1887 through the merger of earlier colonial organizations and became one of the best-known groups promoting German colonialism.
The committee is especially associated with practical colonial economic programs, including agricultural initiatives and information work designed to encourage investment and settlement. Surviving archival records suggest it remained an important part of Germany’s colonial lobby into the twentieth century and was likely absorbed into the Reichskolonialbund in the 1930s.