Anti-colonialism in a Post-Imperial Environment – The Case of Berlin,1914–33

Abstract

The period between the two world wars was formative for the emergence of anti-colonialism on a conceptual and organizational level. This article takes a closer look at the role Berlin played in that process during the First World War and the Weimar era. During that time emigres from different parts of Africa and Asia found a temporary home and political space in the German capital to promote their demands for national self-determination. Contrary to most studies on metropolitan anti-colonialism focusing on a particular national group this article uses the presence of a multitude of migrants from different imperial contexts to emphasize the coherence of anti-colonialism as a political field shaped by transnational and transimperial links. By asking what kind of interactions Berlin made possible or required of these migrant activists the article aims to contribute to the history of early anti-colonialism and, at the same time, add a transnational perspective to the established assessments of German society and politics between 1914 and 1933.