Does Freidrich Fabri's Does Germany Need Colonies?

In the 19th century, Europe’s materials were beginning to run low. When they noticed the huge number of resources that Africa had, as well as the opportunity for free labor in the form of slaves (until the slave trade was abolished in 1807), Europeans wanted to try and colonize Africa. For a long time, Europeans were kept out of Africa due to their strong armies, unknown rivers, and different diseases. However, at a certain point Europeans were able to finally break down the barriers when they had taken enough able-bodied men from Africa, invented new technologies such as a steamboat, and found cures to different diseases that had heavily hurt Europeans in the past. As Europe started colonizing Africa, the Berlin Conference was held where Europeans peacefully …show more content…
This can be seen in a lecture given by John Ruskin at Oxford University, in which he said, “This is what [England] must either do or perish: she must found colonies as fast and far as she is able” Also, Freidrich Fabri, who wrote Does Germany Need Colonies? thought that Germany should follow England’s example in order to become a higher land and trade power. As he said, “It would be wise if we Germans would learn about colonial skills from our Anglo-Saxon [British] cousins and would begin-in a friendly competition-to strive after them.” To summarize, they both thought their countries needed to colonize quickly in order to remain or become the leading country in the world at that time. Ruskin was trying to convince the English that colonizing would make them more powerful, and Freidrich believed that Germany needed to follow England's example in regards to colonizing. This gives the opinion that colonizing can really help a country become much more powerful. By taking over and controlling more land and the water around it, they then have the ability to tax as well as guard those new areas and in times of war, can use them as strategic