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Bismarckstraße in the Kaiserviertel district of Dortmund

Bismarckstraße is located in the Kaiserviertel district of Dortmund, which is part of the city centre east. The Kaiserviertel is a popular district in Dortmund, characterised by many restaurants, cosy cafés and bars. It is described by the slogan „live and shop well“. Compared to Westenhellweg in Dortmund’s city centre, the shops on Kaiserstraße seem smaller and therefore more personal, which is what gives the district its bourgeois charm. You can get everything you need in the small shops. 

When you walk out of the city along Kaiserstraße, you first pass the Kaiserbrunnen, and just behind it is Bismarckstraße. Like many streets and monuments in Germany, this street was named after Otto von Bismarck.

He was the first Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1890. In keeping with the street’s name, the restaurant on the corner is called „Küchen-Wirtschaft Bismarck“. 

Background Otto von Bismarck

In German history, Bismarck is a historically controversial figure. Among other things, he is known for social reforms such as the establishment of health and accident insurance. This is one of the reasons why he still gets a lot of recognition today and is often associated as predominantly positive. Bismarck is not only considered a key political figure of the 19th century for Germany, but for all of Europe. There is all the more to tell about him. In view of the subject matter, however, we will limit ourselves in this audio walk exclusively to his destructive influence in colonial policy. And with the question of why. Why are there street names, cafés, monuments and more that honour a man whose influence still perpetuates considerable difficulties and conflicts of all kinds on the continent today?

German colonial policy

At the time of colonialism, Darwinian and biological interpretations of social existence were supported in Europe as supposed scientific proof of racist theses. Racist ideology was used as a legitimising reason for exploitation and violence in the colonies. In this way, the African population was dehumanised. A sense of us „civilised“ against the „non-developed“ others emerged. These concepts legitimised segregation, superiority and violence. An unbalanced power relationship emerged on the part of the colonial powers that resembled a teacher-child relationship.  The „uncivilised“ population was supposed to learn from the „civilised“ European and was brutally punished in case of resistance. According to this attitude, everything the colonial powers did could only be an enrichment for the local population. Exploitation, the imposition of their own culture and language was made possible under this guise.

When the German Empire entered colonial policy, it took its cue from the other colonial powers already experienced, such as England, France and Portugal. In the beginning, there was no proper organisational structure, but over time, under the leadership of Bernhard Dernburg, an Imperialist Colonial Office was introduced. With professionalisation, exploitation also became more efficient. Not only in terms of natural resources, but also in terms of slavery.

Among other things, a law was passed that forbade the indigenous population to buy land that they inhabited or used for growing food. In addition, taxes were levied that had to be paid off. Through these and other measures, the indigenous population was driven into social and economic dependency. Since the economic as well as social life of the indigenous population was considerably affected by the colonialists‘ occupation, there was resistance in almost every colonial state.

The German colonial empire was described as particularly cruel. It was known to put down resistance efficiently and brutally. The genocide of the Herero and Nama people is a case in point. In this case, the entire indigenous population was declared the enemy and an extermination order was issued against the civilian population. In German South-West Africa, 50 to 80 percent of the population of the two largest ethnic groups in present-day Namibia were thus murdered under Bismarck.

Bismarck and colonial policy

Otto von Bismarck is considered the founder of German colonial policy. His influence on colonialism at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century has left its mark to this day. At the beginning of the emerging colonialism in Europe, Bismarck opposed Germany’s involvement in colonial policy. In a famous quote from him, he proclaims:

„As long as I am Chancellor of the Reich, we will not pursue a colonial policy. We have a fleet that cannot sail and we must not have vulnerable points in distant parts of the world that will fall to the French as booty as soon as it starts.“ 

This quote was written immediately after the Franco-Prussian War and illustrates the supposedly defensive foreign policy he was driving at the time. This defensive stance towards colonialism, however, was not about supporting or protecting African countries from exploitation, but was dedicated to the fear of being perceived as a threat by the other colonial powers and thus possibly provoking a war. In addition, Bismarck wanted to secure the German Empire’s status as a world power by concentrating foreign policy on the territories of Europe. Thus, it was purely economic policy reasons and concerns about weakening the German Empire that kept him from backing the proponents of colonial interests.

Nevertheless, Bismarck is considered the founder of the German colonial empire, because the pressure to keep up globally was growing. Other European countries had long been involved in colonialism and were thus ahead of Germany both politically and economically. Bismarck strove for a unified African colonial empire. Under him, entire countries and parts of countries from today’s Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Gabon, Chad, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia and several islands in the Western Pacific were declared German protectorates. The term protectorates, established here by Bismarck, also testifies to a supposedly defensive foreign policy, which was intended to prevent Germany from being perceived as too threatening by the other European powers. 

The Berlin-Africa Conference was convened by Bismark and is one of the key moments in European colonial policy. Here the African continent was divided up among the colonial powers.

The Berlin-Africa Conference, which took place from 15 November 1884 to 26 February 1885, plays a central role in Europe’s colonial history and still shows its devastating effects on the African continent today. The current division of Africa into nation-states are consequences that still result from the conference today. Bismarck invited the diplomatic representatives of the major European powers, the USA and the Ottoman Empire to the Berlin Conference. In the colonial logic, the presence of African representatives was not even envisaged, so that the local population had no say in the matter. Borders were drawn arbitrarily without taking regional identities or historical circumstances into account. The inhabitants of African countries were forced to learn the language of the colonial powers, which remains unchanged to this day. In many of the former colonial states, the language of the colonial powers is still the official language. The partition was intended, among other things, to favour economic trade for Europeans and to give them legal legitimacy. As a result of the conference, new railway lines were also built to further the exploitation of the countries.  The treaty stipulated in advance that the slave trade should be stopped, but this was not followed up afterwards. The established structures were firmly in place and the exploitation of free labour was, as planned, to the advantage of the German tyranny, so this clause of the treaty was broken.

German colonialism still shows its after-effects today. Otto von Bismarck was a key figure in colonialism, strongly pushing racist ideology and colonial violence. His colonial ideas and the organisation of the Berlin-Africa Conference enabled the exploitation of the people and countries of the African continent. His influence has left its mark and significantly shaped the continent to this day.  It is clear that for him the people of the African continent and the South Pacific were only of economic interest. So why is a former German Chancellor honoured with a street who promoted German colonial policy and thus made it possible that many people on the African continent are still suffering today? The history of colonialism is deliberately suppressed and glossed over to this day.