ABSTRACT
In November 1882, a Bremen merchant and tobacco trader, F.A.E. Lüderitz, informed the German Foreign Office of his intention to purchase land and establish a trading post in South West Africa. By selecting a spot just outside British territory he could circumvent British import duties on his merchandise, which he stressed would all be of German make. Eventually, he might even exploit the copper and silver fields in the interior. Lüderitz foresaw one problem: if he carried through his plans the British would not hesitate – as they had done at the Gold Coast – to take possession of any land he bought. In this way, a potentially substantial market for German industry would be lost. To prevent this from happening, he asked for Schutz, protection, of the German flag. 1 In April of the following year, Lüderitz’ agent, Heinrich Vogelsang, landed at Angra Pequena, now Lüderitz Bay in Namibia, north of the Oranje River, the frontier of the British Cape Colony. From there, he travelled into the interior to buy land from the local chief, ‘King Josef Frederick’. In April 1884 Lüderitz got what he wanted. South West Africa, by then larger than Germany itself, was placed under the protection of His Majesty Emperor Wilhelm I (Graichen and Gründer 2005: 74).
