Imperial Colonial Office - Development and Reorganization

Development and Reorganization

From its inception in 1884, a colonial service organization performed administrative functions (policy and management) for the executive arm of the imperial government. Until 1907 responsibility for this service was with the Colonial Department Kolonialabteilung as a subsection in the Foreign Office Auswärtiges Amt. From 1896 the department further co-supervised the colonial military or protection force, the "Schutztruppe", with its headquarters billeted in the naval ministry, the Reichsmarineamt. By the late 19th century the need evolved for a separate, higher ranking agency that would report directly to the Reich Chancellor. In early 1907 the Reichstag removed the colonial department from the foreign office and elevated the department to an Amt office, the Reichskolonialamt, to be managed by a cabinet level secretary. The new office was then physically relocated to Berlin’s Wilhelmstrasse. This legislation represented a complete reorganization and was a direct response to the nationwide so-called "Hottentot election", after allegations of colonial malfeasance, corruption and brutality (e.g., German South West Africa) surfaced in the German print media. The shake-up subsequently involved extensive and wide-ranging personnel changes in civil service positions in the colonies. The Schutztruppe command structure was also reorganized and moved to Mauerstrasse, in close proximity of the Reichskolonialamt location.

The new secretary of the Reichskolonialamt reported directly to the head of government, the chancellor.