The role of the Imperial German Navy in colonial affairs

307 Pages·2013·7.79 MB·English

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6ÂNZ, Albert Harding, 1938-
THE ROLE OF THE IMPERIAL GERMAN NAVY IN
COLONIAL AFFAIRS.
The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1972
History, modern
Univeisity Microfilms. A W%%Company, Ann Arbor, bfichigan
Copyright by
Albert Harding Ganz
© 1972
>■ THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED
■
THE ROLE OF TOE IMPERIAL ŒRMAN NAVY
IN COLONIAL AFFAIRS
DISSERTATION
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate
School of The Ohio State University
By
Albert Harding Ganz, B.A., M.A.
* * * * * *
The Ohio State University
1972
Approved by
A d v i s e r f
Department of History
PLEASE NOTE:
Some pages may have
indistinct print.
Filmed as received.
University Microfilms, A Xerox Education Company
PREFACE
The maxim "trade follows the flag" was a commonly
accepted one in the latter decades of the Nineteenth
Century. That there was a close relationship between
commercial and colonial activity and the direction of
naval policy was generally assumed, and in Germany the
Flottenverein (Navy League) eind the Rolonialverein
(Colonial Society) supported each other's goals in
advocating imperialistic expansion. Warships required
coaling stations, and mercantile interests needed raw
materials and markets for their goods; the interdependence
was obvious.
But the story of the German Navy's role in colonial
affairs is not so simple. The majority of Germany's
African and Asian colonies were precipitously acquired by
Chancellor Bismarck in 1884, at a time when the little
German Navy was headed by Leo von Caprivi, cin Am^ general
who had no interest in colonial ventures. Then too,
Genocui steam-sail warships, sailing ships with auxiliary
steam propulsion, were not yet dependent on coaling
stations. When the Navy did become interested in overseas
bases in the 1980s, because of the technological transition
from sail to steam and because of the appeal of a commerce-
ii
raiding strategy of cruiser-warfare, it discovered that
none of Germany*s existing colonies fulfilled its logis­
tical and strategic requirements. Indeed, colonial
unrest only made even greater demands on ships and men
than anticipated, and when the Navy was called on to
participate in colonial affairs by administering the
Schutztruppen (colonial forces), it showed extreme
reluctance to do so.
The cruiser-warfare strategy utilizing overseas
bases was never really implanented, primarily because the
Navy had no single head after 1889. In that year Navy
administration was divided into three equal departments,
each usually in conflict with the others. A coherent
strategy and ship-building program was only introduced
with the accession of Admiral Tirpitz to the Reichs-
marineamt (Reich Navy Office) in 1897. He was determined
to concentrate on a battle fleet in home waters, and in
general opposed further overseas commitments. The warships
that dramatized German political policy in Samoa, South
Africa, and Morocco were not under his operational control.
The striking exception to the Navy's attitude toward
overseas enterprises was its acquisition and administration
of Kiaochow in China. If this acquisition was incompatible
with Tirpitz*s battle fleet policy, it nonetheless served
a valuable function in its own right. Kiaochow was also
iii
unique in that it was the only one of Geirmany's possessions
abroad that was administered by the military establishment.
There were intrinsic differences between this protectorate
and Germany's other colonies; yet the storm of controversy
that arose concerning the civilian-administered territories
left Kiaochow unscathed, and signified the unique achieve­
ments of the German Navy in operating beyond its accustomed
spAere.
Host of the material for this subject is found in the
personal papers and the German naval archives located in
the Bnndesarchiv-Militârarchiv, Freiburg im Breisgau, and
I would particularly like to thank Oberarchivrat Dr.
Sandhofer for his helpful comments and suggestions.
Additional related material is found in the Bundesarchiv
itself in Koblenz. Then too, I would like to gratefully
acknowledge the helpful guidance of my adviser. Professor
Andreas Dorpalen, and finally the assistance and encourage­
ment of my wife Diane.
IV
VITA
12 Decenü)er 1938 . . Bom - New York City, New York
1961 . . . . . . . . B.A., Wittenberg University
Springfield, Ohio
1963 .............M.A., Coltnnbia University,
New York City, New York
1967-69 . . . . . . Teaching Assistant, Department of
History, The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
1969 .............NDEA Fellowship Title IV
Research in the Bnndesarchiv-
Militârarchiv, Freiburg, and
the Bundesarchiv, Koblenz
1969-71 . . . . . . Teaching Associate, Department of
History, The Ohio State Universil^,
Columbus, Ohio
1971-72 ......... Instructor, The Ohio State
University, Newark, Ohio
FIELDS OF STUDY
Major Field: History
19th Century Europe. Professor Andreas Dorpalen
Military History. Professor Harry Coles
Russian History. Professor Charles Morley
American Revolution. Professor Bradley Chapin
table of contents
Page
PREFACE........................................ ii
VITA........................................... V
LIST OF MAPS.................................... vi
Chapter
I. GERMANY ACQUIRES AN EMPIRE ................ 1
II. NAVAL SERVICE IN THE EMPIRE................ 34
III. THE STÜTZPÜNKT CONCEPT: A STILLBORN STRATEGY. . 59
IV. THE SEIZURE OF KIAOCHOW................... 76
V. THE ADMINISTRATION OF KIAOCHOW.............. 135
VI. THE VAGARIES OF WELTPOLITIK..................172
VII. ADMIRAL TRUPPEL'S KIAOCHOW..................207
VIII. ECLIPSE OF EMPIRE...........................253
APPENDIX
1 288
II. . ........................................289
III.............................................. 290
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................... 291
VI
LIST OF MAPS
Map Page
1. Africa in 1914............................ 2
2. Pacific in 1914.......................... 77
3. Shantung and Kiaochow................... 136
ViX