| Primary Source |
| Germany | Imperialism | [P|S|M] |
Speech held by Kaiser Wilhelm II. on the Occasion of the Opening of a Legislative Period, in the Reichstag, November 28th 1905 - Extract relating to the development in the colonies
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" ... The development of our protectorates has suffered considerably due to the revolt in Southwest Africa and the East African rebellions; the
fatherland had to pay a high price in form of monetary costs and in the sacrifice of human blood. I know that I express the sentiment of the nation
when I heartily thank officers and men who answered my call and heroically defended our possession, risking their own lives. Their great sacrifices
have not been in vain. Recent dispatches regarding the submission of the Witboi give us reason to hope that law and order soon will be restored in
the protectorate which has undergone such a trial. The task for the near future is to turn the recently reconquered ground into profitable land, by
securing it militarily and by opening it up economically; this depends on the construction of new traffic routes; plans on this matter will soon be sent to
you.
In the budget draft it is suggested to change the Foreign Office's Colonial Department into a separate Imperial Colonial Office, which will be
better suited to organize the colonial administration. The simplification of a number of regulations concerning the colonies' budgets and accountancy is
in preparation; it shall lay the foundation for colonial self-administration .... "
| | (Die Reden Kaiser Wilhelms II. (Kaiser Wilhelm II.'s speeches) ed. by Johannes
Penzler. Vol. 3: 1901 - End 1905. Leipzig no year, p. 289.)
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Dokument in deutscher Sprache
GM & AG
(digital edition and translation) for psm-data 
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