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of population, colonies mean to them more than to any other people, and that they are now and in the future a necessity of existence; thirdly, that the acquisition of the German colonies was by means of peaceful negotiation, purchase, exchange and treaty and not by aggression, military conquest, or forcible annexation. It has seldom been an imperialistic, but nearly always an economic policy which has determined Germany’s attitude toward her colonies.
In the whole annals of the acquisition of colonies by the great European powers, there is no cleaner record than that of Germany. Even the dominion over the native races was established by protectorate treaties and other peaceful measures, and arms were resorted to only under exceptional circumstances.
Germany’s African Pioneers.
Though last of the greater European powers to acquire colonies, Germany was one of the foremost in the pioneer work of opening up such unsettled lands as those of Africa. The names of German explorers and missionaries shine brilliantly in the history of the Dark Continent. The achievements of such men as Heinrich Barth, Wilhelm Junker, Georg Schweinfurth, Gustav Nachtigall, Hermann von Wissmann, Gerhard Rohlfs, Emin Pasha, and many others, belong to the greatest and most splendid in the African roll of fame. The