German colonial projects before 1871
Colonies predating the German Empire / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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When the German Empire came into existence in 1871,[1] none of its constituent states had any overseas colonies. Only after the Berlin Conference in 1884 did Germany begin to acquire new overseas possessions,[2][3] but it had a much longer relationship with colonialism dating back to the 1520s.[4][5]:ā9ā Before the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, various German states established chartered companies to set up trading posts; in some instances they also sought direct territorial and administrative control over these. After 1806, attempts at securing possession of territories overseas were abandoned; instead, private trading companies took the lead in the Pacific[6] while joint-stock companies and colonial associations initiated projects elsewhere, although many never progressed beyond the planning stage.[7][8]