A Nation Forged by Empire: The Hidden Legacy of German Colonialism

How do you reconcile imperial power with the nation-state? This study explores the enduring legacy of German colonialism, tracing the imperial origins of the German nation-state as it emerged in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Following unification under Prussian leadership, Germany expanded overseas to assert its place among the global powers. The resulting colonial empire left lasting imprints not only on local communities in Africa, the Pacific, and China but also on the German metropole itself. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources from European and African archives, Matthias Leanza demonstrates how the challenges of colonial governance prompted domestic reforms that reshaped the political arena, strengthened federal authority over the states, and sharpened national identity. While Germany's overseas ambitions ended abruptly with the First World War, the legacy of empire endured, embedded within the structures of the nation-state.

About the Author

Matthias Leanza is Assistant Professor of Historical Sociology at the University of Basel and holds an SNSF Starting Grant. His research focuses on empires, nation-state formation, and decolonisation. He received the 2017 Erasmus Prize for the Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Freiburg.