German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...
from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of
Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approxi ...
,
Savai'i,
Apolima and
Manono, now wholly within the independent state of
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
, formerly ''Western Samoa''. Samoa was the last German colonial acquisition in the
Pacific basin
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, received following the
Tripartite Convention
The Tripartite Convention of 1899 concluded the Second Samoan Civil War, resulting in the formal partition of the Samoan archipelago into a German colony and a United States territory.
Forerunners to the Tripartite Convention of 1899 were the ...
signed at Washington on 2 December 1899 with ratifications exchanged on 16 February 1900.
[Ryden, George Herbert. ''The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa''. New York: Octagon Books, 1975. (Reprint by special arrangement with Yale University Press. Originally published at New Haven: Yale University Press, 1928), p. 574; the Tripartite Convention (United States, Germany, Great Britain) was signed at Washington on 2 December 1899 with ratifications exchanged on 16 February 1900] It was the only German colony in the Pacific, aside from the
Kiautschou Bay concession
The Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory was a German leased territory in Imperial and Early Republican China from 1898 to 1914. Covering an area of , it centered on Jiaozhou ("Kiautschou") Bay on the southern coast of the Shandong Peninsula ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, that was administered separately from
German New Guinea
German New Guinea (german: Deutsch-Neu-Guinea) consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups and was the first part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , ...
.
Expansion of German influence
In 1855
J.C. Godeffroy & Sohn expanded its trading business into the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
following negotiations by August Unshelm, Godeffroy's agent in Valparaíso. He sailed out to the
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa an ...
, which were then known as the Navigator Islands. During the second half of the 19th century German influence in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
expanded with large scale plantation operations being introduced for coconut, cacao and hevea rubber cultivation, especially on the island of 'Upolu where German firms monopolised
copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...
and
cocoa bean
The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully Fermentation, fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of non ...
processing.
The trading operations of J.C. Godeffroy & Sohn extended to islands in the Central
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
.
In 1865 a trading captain acting on behalf of J.C. Godeffroy & Sohn obtained a 25-year lease to the eastern islet of Niuoku of
Nukulaelae
Nukulaelae is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu, and it has a population of 300 (2017 census). The largest settlement is Pepesala on Fangaua islet with a population of 300 people (2017 Census). It has the form of an oval and consists of ...
Atoll.
J. C. Godeffroy und Sohn was taken over in 1879 by Handels-und Plantagen-Gesellschaft der Südsee-Inseln zu Hamburg (DHPG). Competition in the trading operations in the Central Pacific came from Ruge, Hedemann & Co, established in 1875,
which was succeeded by H. M. Ruge and Company until that firm failed in about 1887.
Tensions caused in part by the conflicting interests of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
traders and plantation owners and British business enterprises and American business interests led to the first
Samoan Civil War
The turbulent decades of the late 19th century saw several conflicts between rival Samoan factions in the Samoan Islands of the South Pacific. The political struggle lasted roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans contesting wheth ...
. The war was fought roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans though the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
military intervened on several occasions. The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
opposed the German activity which led to a
confrontation
Confrontation is an element of conflict wherein parties confront one another, directly engaging one another in the course of a dispute between them. A confrontation can be at any scale, between any number of people, between entire nations or cult ...
in
Apia Harbour
Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga.
T ...
in 1887.
In 1899 after the
Second Samoan Civil War
The Second Samoan Civil War was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States were locked in dispute over who should have control over the Samoan island chain, located in the South Pacific Ocea ...
the
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa an ...
were divided by the three involved powers. The Samoa
Tripartite Convention
The Tripartite Convention of 1899 concluded the Second Samoan Civil War, resulting in the formal partition of the Samoan archipelago into a German colony and a United States territory.
Forerunners to the Tripartite Convention of 1899 were the ...
gave control of the islands west of 171 degrees west longitude to Germany, the eastern islands to the United States (present-day
American Samoa
American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internatio ...
) and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
was compensated with other territories in the Pacific and West Africa.
[
]
Economic development
During the colonial years new companies were formed to greatly expand agricultural activities which in turn increased tax revenues for public works that further stimulated economic growth; “...over all, the period of German rule was the most progressive, economically, that the country has experienced.” J. C. Godeffroy, as the leading trading and plantation company on Samoa, maintained communications among its various subdivisions and branches and the home base at Hamburg with its own fleet of ships. Since the Samoan cultural envelope did not include “labor for hire,” the importation of Chinese (coolie) laborers (and to a lesser extent Melanesians
Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in a wide area from Indonesia's New Guinea to as far East as the islands of Vanuatu and Fiji. Most speak either one of the many languages of the Austronesian language fam ...
from New Guinea working for DHPG) was implemented, and “...by 1914 over 2,000 Chinese were in the colony, providing an effective labor force for the erman Erman Rašiti may refer to:
Given name
* Erman Bulucu (born 1989), Turkish footballer
* Erman Eltemur (born 1993), Turkish karateka
* Erman Güraçar (born 1974), Turkish footballer
* Erman Kılıç (born 1983), Turkish footballer
* Erman Kunter (b ...
plantations."
Major plantation enterprises on Samoa:
*J. C. Godeffroy & Son (superseded as ''Deutsche Handels und Plantagen Gesellschaft'' or DHPG)
*''Deutsche Samoa Gesellschaft''
*''Safata-Samoa-Gesellschaft''
*''Samoa Kautschuk Kompagnie''
Colonial administration
The German colonial period lasted for 14 years and officially began with the raising of the imperial flag on 1 March 1900. Wilhelm Solf
Wilhelm Heinrich Solf (5 October 1862 – 6 February 1936) was a German scholar, diplomat, jurist and statesman.
Early life
Solf was born into a wealthy and liberal family in Berlin. He attended secondary schools in Anklam, western Pomerania, an ...
became the first governor.
In its political relations with the Samoan people, Solf's government showed similar qualities of intelligence and care as in the economic arena. He skillfully grafted Samoan institutions into the new system of colonial government by the acceptance of native customs. Solf himself learned many of the customs and rituals important to the Samoan people, observing cultural etiquette including the ceremonial drinking of kava
Kava or kava kava ('' Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a crop of the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'; other names for kava include ''ʻawa'' ( Hawai� ...
.
“German rule brought peace and order for the first time. ... Authority, in the person of the governor, became paternal, fair, and absolute. Berlin was far away; there was no cable or radio.” The German administrators inherited a system by which some two hundred leading Samoans held various public offices. Over the years, rivalries for these positions, as well as appointments by colonial officials created tensions that dissident ''matai'' (chiefs) gathered together into a militant movement to eventually march armed on Apia
Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga.
...
in 1909. Governor Solf met the Samoans, his resolute personality persuaded them to return home. However, political agitation continued to simmer, several warships arrived and Solf's patience came to an end. He had ten of the leaders, including their wives, children and retainers, in all 72 souls, deported to Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
in the German Mariana Islands, in effect terminating the revolt.
Energetic efforts by colonial administrators established the first public school system; a hospital was built and staffed and enlarged as needed. Of all colonial possessions of the European powers in the Pacific, German Samoa was by far the best-roaded; all roads up until 1942 had been constructed under German direction. The imperial grants from the Berlin treasury which had marked the first eight years of German rule were no longer needed after 1908. Samoa had become a self-supporting colony. Wilhelm Solf left Samoa in 1910 to be appointed Colonial Secretary at Berlin; he was succeeded as governor by Erich Schultz, the former chief justice in the protectorate. The Germans built the Telefunken Railroad from Apia
Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga.
...
onto the Mount Vaea
Mount Vaea is a 472 m summit overlooking Apia, the capital of Samoa located on the north central coast of Upolu island. The mountain is situated south about 3 km inland from Apia township and harbour. The settlement at the foothills o ...
for transporting building materials for the 120 m high mast of their Telefunken
Telefunken was a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the ''Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ('General electricity company').
The name "Telefunken" ap ...
wireless station, which was inaugurated as planned on 1 August 1914, just a few days after the beginning of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
The German colonial administrator used the former home of writer Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
as a residence; the building is now the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.
Occupation
Other than native Samoan police, Germany had no armed forces stationed in the islands. The small gunboat SMS ''Geier'' and the unarmed survey ship ''Planet'' were assigned to the so-called "Australian Station" (encompassing all German South Seas protectorates, not the British dominion Australia), but ''Geier'' never reached Samoa.
British born Herbert Morley (explorer)
Herbert Morley was a Victorian explorer. He is featured at the ''Bradford Museums & Galleries'' through a collection of items relating to Morley, and as an "inspirer" for junior wannabe explorers.
Herbert Morley lived, as young boy, on Devonshire ...
who, in 1914, was in business in Samoa, has sent a letter dated July 27, 1914, therein he tells of six German warships docking off Samoa. The letter was publicized in Keighley News
The ''Keighley News'' is a weekly newspaper based in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. As well as Keighley, its circulation area includes Cross Hills, Cullingworth, Denholme, East Morton, Haworth, Oxenhope, Silsden and Steeton.
The newsp ...
on November 17, 1914.
At the behest of the United Kingdom the colony was invaded unopposed on the morning of 29 August 1914 by troops of the Samoa Expeditionary Force
The Samoa Expeditionary Force (SEF) was a small volunteer force of approximately 1,400 men raised in New Zealand shortly after the outbreak of World War I to seize and destroy the German wireless station in German Samoa in the south-west Pacif ...
. Vice Admiral Count Maximilian von Spee
Maximilian Johannes Maria Hubert Reichsgraf von Spee (22 June 1861 – 8 December 1914) was a naval officer of the German '' Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy), who commanded the East Asia Squadron during World War I. Spee entered the navy in ...
of the German East Asia Squadron gained knowledge of the occupation and hastened to Samoa with the armored cruisers SMS ''Scharnhorst'' and SMS ''Gneisenau'', arriving off Apia on 14 September 1914. He determined however that a landing would only be of temporary advantage in an Allied dominated sea and the cruisers departed. New Zealand occupied the German colony through to 1920, then governed the islands until independence in 1962 as a League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...
Class C Mandate[date of ratification by the League of Nations was 10 January 1920; Class C mandates were designed for populations considered incapable of self-government] at first and then as a United Nations Trust Territory
United Nations trust territories were the successors of the remaining League of Nations mandates and came into being when the League of Nations ceased to exist in 1946. All of the trust territories were administered through the United Nati ...
after 1946.
Planned symbols for German Samoa
In 1914, a series of drafts were made for proposed coats of arms and flags for the German colonies
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, including German Samoa. However, World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
broke out before the designs were finished, and the symbols were never used. Following its defeat in the war, Germany lost all its colonies, so the coats of arms and flags became redundant.
Flag of Deutsch-Samoa.svg, Proposed flag
Proposed Coat of Arms Samoa 1914.svg, Proposed coat of arms
See also
*History of Samoa
The Samoan Islands were first settled some 3,500 years ago as part of the Austronesian expansion. Both Samoa's early history and its more recent history are strongly connected to the histories of Tonga and Fiji, nearby islands with which Samoa ha ...
*List of colonial governors of Samoa
This article lists the colonial governors of Samoa (or Western Samoa), from the establishment of German Samoa in 1900 until the independence of the Western Samoa Trust Territory in 1962.
List
(Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' co ...
*Falemata'aga - Museum of Samoa
Falemata'aga - The Museum of Samoa is the national museum of Samoa. It is housed in a former school which was built by the German colonial administration.
Background
The museum is located in Apia and is housed in the oldest building on the isl ...
References
Bibliography
* Davidson, J. W. ''Samoa mo Samoa'' amoa for the Samoans ''The Emergence of the Independent State of Western Samoa''. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 1967. OCLC 222445762
* Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft. ''Kleiner Deutscher Kolonialatlas''. Berlin: Verlag Dietrich Reimer. 1899. OCLC 37420819
* Gerlach, Hans-Henning & Birken, Andreas. ''Die Südsee und die deutsche Seepost, deutsche Kolonien und deutsche Kolonialpolitik''. Volume 4. Königsbronn. 2001. OCLC 49909546
* Graudenz, Karlheinz & Schindler, Hanns-Michael. ''Die deutschen Kolonien''. Augsburg: Weltbildverlag. 1994.
* Lewthwaite, Gordon R. “Life, Land and Agriculture to Mid-Century,” in ''Western Samoa''. Edited by James W. Fox and Kenneth Brailey Cumberland. Christchurch, New Zealand: Whitcomb & Tombs Ltd. 1962. OCLC 512636
* McKay, Cyril Gilbert Reeves. ''Samoana, A Personal Story of the Samoan Islands''. Wellington and Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. 1968. OCLC 32790
* Schultz-Naumann, Joachim. ''Unter Kaisers Flagge, Deutschlands Schutzgebiete im Pazifik und in China einst und heute'' nder the Kaiser's Flag, Germany's Protectorates in the Pacific and in China then and today Munich: Universitas Verlag. 1985. OCLC 14130501
* Ryden, George Herbert. ''The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa''. New York: Octagon Books, 1975. (Reprint, originally published at New Haven: Yale University Press, 1928.) OCLC 185595285
* Spoehr, Florence Mann. ''White Falcon, The House of J.C. Godeffroy and its Commercial and Scientific Role in the Pacific''. Palo Alto: Pacific Books. 1963. OCLC 3149438
* Washausen, Helmut. ''Hamburg und die Kolonialpolitik des Deutschen Reiches'' amburg and Colonial Politics of the German Empire 1968. Hamburg: Hans Christians Verlag.
External links
*
Deutsche Kolonien
��
Deutsches Koloniallexikon
—
{{Coord, 13.8000, S, 172.1000, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Former colonies in Oceania
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
History of Samoa
Former protectorates
*
*
States and territories established in 1900
States and territories disestablished in 1920
1900 establishments in Oceania
1920 disestablishments in Oceania
1900 establishments in the German colonial empire
1920 disestablishments in the German colonial empire
20th century in Samoa
Germany–Samoa relations