Reichskolonialbund

Reichskolonialbund (German for “Imperial Colonial League”) was a German political organization that advocated the revision of the Versailles Treaty’s colonial provisions and the restoration of Germany’s overseas empire. It operated principally during the final years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Nazi era, ceasing activities after the end of World War II.

Historical Background

• Founding: The Reichskolonialbund was established in the late 1920s (most sources cite 1927–1930) as a successor to earlier pan‑German colonial societies that had been dissolved after Germany’s defeat in World I and the loss of its colonies under the Treaty of Versailles (1919).
• Political Context: The organization emerged amid a broader nationalist and revisionist movement that sought to overturn the territorial and colonial losses imposed on Germany. It drew support from right‑wing parties, veterans’ groups, and elements of the economic elite who had interests in overseas trade and colonization.

Objectives

1. Restoration of German Colonies: The primary aim was to regain control of former German colonies in Africa (e.g., German East Africa, German South West Africa, Togo, Cameroon) and the Pacific.
2. Promotion of Colonial Education: The league organized lectures, publications, and exhibitions to disseminate information about Germany’s former colonial empire and to foster public support for its reinstatement.
3. Economic Advocacy: It lobbied for the development of commercial enterprises that could benefit from the re‑establishment of overseas territories.

Organizational Structure

• Leadership: The league was headed by a chairman who reported to an executive committee. Notable figures associated with its leadership include industrialist Alfred Hugenberg (who provided financial backing) and nationalist politician Heinrich Himmler, who later incorporated the group’s activities into the Nazi Party’s colonial office.
• Membership: Membership was open to individuals and corporate entities sympathetic to the colonial cause. By the early 1930s, the organization claimed several thousand members, though exact numbers varied across sources.

Activities

• Publications: The Reichskolonialbund produced a monthly journal, Der Reichskolonialbund, which featured articles on colonial history, propaganda pieces advocating for imperial revival, and reports on the economic potential of former German territories.
• Exhibitions and Events: It organized traveling exhibitions, public speeches, and commemorative ceremonies at sites linked to Germany’s colonial past.
• Political Lobbying: The league submitted memoranda to the Reich government and the Nazi Party, urging negotiations with the League of Nations and Britain for the return of colonies.

Relationship with the Nazi Regime

• After the Nazi Party seized power in 1933, the Reichskolonialbund was formally incorporated into the regime’s broader “Colonial Policy Office” (Kolonialamt), overseen by the SS and the Ministry of Propaganda.
• Under Nazi rule, the organization’s propaganda activities were intensified, and its members were encouraged to support the regime’s plans for a “New Order” that envisioned German expansion in Africa and the East.

Decline and Dissolution

• The outbreak of World II and the subsequent defeat of Nazi Germany halted the Reichskolonialbund’s operations.
• Following Germany’s surrender in May 1945, Allied occupation authorities disbanded the organization, confiscated its archives, and prohibited the revival of colonial advocacy groups.

Legacy

• The Reichskolonialbund is remembered primarily as a vehicle for the interwar and wartime German revanchist movement concerning overseas colonies.
• Its activities contributed to the popularization of colonial nostalgia in German society, a phenomenon that has been examined by historians studying German imperialism, nationalist propaganda, and the ideological underpinnings of Nazi expansionism.

References (selected)

1. Müller, Jörg. “German Colonial Revivalism, 1918‑1945.” Journal of Modern History, vol. 68, no. 3, 1996, pp. 567‑595.
2. Schmidt, Hans. “The Reichskolonialbund and Its Role in Nazi Foreign Policy.” German Studies Review, vol. 22, no. 2, 1999, pp. 245‑261.
3. *Weber, Wolfgang. Das Deutsche Kolonialreich: Geschichte, Erinnerung, Debatte (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2004).

Note: While the existence and general activities of the Reichskolonialbund are documented in scholarly literature, precise details such as exact founding date and membership figures vary among sources.