Aid or Imperialism? West Germany in Sub-Saharan Africa

Brigitte Schulz; William Hansen

doi:10.1017/S0022278X00056068

Aid or Imperialism? West Germany in Sub-Saharan Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2008

Brigitte Schulz and

William Hansen

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What is the precise nature of the relationship between the so-called Third World and the industrialised West? While a question of this sort was much more easily answered in the era of direct colonial control over vast non-European regions, there is much debate concerning the symmetry of economic and political relationships in the postindependence period. In fact, to a considerable number of observers, it is asymmetry which characterises the ties between the industrialised and ‘underdeveloped’ countries, based on a long historical process of incorporation into the western capitalist system. Political independence, these critics argue, has merely shifted a ‘colonial’ to a ‘neo-colonial’ relationship, leaving the unevenness basically intact.

Type: Articles
Information: The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , June 1984 , pp. 287 - 313

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X00056068 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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^{page 290 note 1} For a detailed study of ownership patterns before and after World War II, see Engelman, Bernt, Das Reich Zerfiel, die Reichen blieben. Deutschlands Geld – und Machtelite (Hamburg, 1972), passim.Google Scholar

^{page 290 note 2} See Graf, William, The German Left Since 1945 (Cambridge, 1976), passim, for an excellent analysis of the way in which the western allies, particularly the United States, while claiming a policy of de-Nazification in the immediate post-war period, in fact allowed the German ‘right’ to remain largely intact. Instead, the allies pursued a conscious policy of suppressing both the communist and non-communist West German ‘left’.Google Scholar

^{page 290 note 3} Schule und Dritte Welt (Bonn, 1976), p. 13,Google Scholar and Politik der Partner (Bonn, 1979), p. 38.Google Scholar

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^{page 291 note 2} Our calculations from Deutsch-Afrikanischer Aussenhandel im Jahre 1980 (Hamburg),Google ScholarAfrika-Verein, , undated and unpublished memorandum, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 17 March 1981.Google Scholar

^{page 291 note 3} Many analysts believe that the European Economic Community should be treated as one economic unit vis-à-vis trade with the rest of the world. As Klaus Hansen, president of the prestigious Afrika-Verein, phrased it in 1972, E.E.C. trade is ‘merely domestic trade with a foreign currency’. Quoted in Internationales Afrika Forum (Munich), 02-03 1973, p. 75.Google Scholar

^{page 291 note 4} Europa – dritte Welt: Gegenseitige Abhängigkeit (Brussels, Commission of the European Community, 1979), p. 65.Google Scholar

^{page 291 note 5} Ibid. p. 60.

^{page 291 note 6} Ibid. p. 53.

^{page 291 note 7} Exchange rates have fluctuated enormously over the past several years, ranging from a low of DM 1.65 to a high of DM 2.35=$1.00.

^{page 291 note 8} Deutsch-Afrikanischer Aussenhandel, p. 4.

^{page 292 note 1} ‘The Structure of German Trade with Africa’, in Intereconomics (Hamburg), 9, 1972, p. 288.Google Scholar

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^{page 292 note 3} New African Yearbook, 1980 (London, 1980), p. 293.Google Scholar

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^{page 292 note 5} Goldberg, B., Judick, G., and Rische, F., Africa im Wandel (Frankfurt, 1979), p. 94.Google Scholar

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^{page 292 note 7} Ibid.

^{page 293 note 1} Politik der Partner, p. 38.

^{page 293 note 2} Afrika-Handel mit der BRD (Cologne), 08 1976, pp. 1–9.Google Scholar

^{page 293 note 3} Deutsch-Afrikanischer Aussenhandel, p. 3.

^{page 293 note 4} Kraemer, Martin, ‘Möglichkeiten und Grenzen Privater Direktinvestitionen in Afrika aus deutscher Sicht’, in Afrika Spectrum (Hamburg), 01 1974, p. 37.Google Scholar

^{page 293 note 5} Afrika Wirtschaftstag, 1978 (Hamburg, 1978), p. 4,Google Scholar and Deutsch-Afrikanischer Aussenhandel, p. 3.

^{page 293 note 6} The New York Times, 28 October 1980, special supplement entitled ‘West Germany: a top investment partner’.

^{page 293 note 7} O.E.C.D.statistics quoted in IMSF and AIB, Neokolonialismus der BRD und anti-imperialistischer Befreiungskampf (Frankfurt, 1979), p. 113.Google Scholar

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^{page 294 note 2} Magdoff, Harry, The Age of Imperialism (New York, 1969), p. 38.Google Scholar

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^{page 294 note 4} Kargenau, H., ‘Umfang der multinationalen Investitionen’, in Kebschull, Dietrich and Mayer, O. G. (eds.), Multinationale Unternehmen. Anfang oder Ende der Weltwirtschaft? (Frankfurt, 1974), pp. 15–35.Google Scholar

^{page 294 note 5} Goldberg, , Judick, , and Risch, , op. cit. pp. 84–5.Google Scholar

^{page 294 note 6} The New York Times, op. cit. p. D-13.

^{page 294 note 7} NeoKolonialismus der BRD, p. 97.

^{page 295 note 1} The New York Times, op. cit.

^{page 295 note 2} Tetzlaff, loc. cit. p. 66.

^{page 295 note 3} Ibid. p. 55.

^{page 295 note 4} ‘Partnership’ between West Germany and the Third World is the officially pronounced leitmotif of Bonn's policies. To show how in an ‘interdependent’ world this co-operative spirit is essential, the Government explains this as follows to secondary-school students in a handbook especially designed for them: ‘We need materials from the Third World; the Third World wants our modern technology. Our citizens do not want to do without coffee and bananas; people in the Third World want to lead better lives and want to be free of hunger and misery… We want a clean environment. The developing countries want their chimneys finally to billow smoke.’ Unterrichtshilfen, p. 27, emphasis added.

^{page 296 note 1} For a more detailed discussion, see Bodemer, Klaus, Entwicklungspolitik – politik für wen? (Munich, 1974), p. 93.Google Scholar

^{page 297 note 1} Deutsche Entwicklungshilfe im Jahre 1964 (Bonn, 1965), p. 5.Google Scholar

^{page 297 note 2} Bodemer, op. cit. p. 97.

^{page 297 note 3} Buro, Andreas, ‘Die Entwicklungspolitik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland’, in Tibi, Bassam and Brandes, Volkhard (eds.), Unterentwicklung (Frankfurt, 1975), p. 333.Google Scholar

^{page 297 note 4} Hofmeier, Rolf, ‘Möglichkeiten und Grenzen deutscher Entwicklungspolitik gegenüber Afrika’, in Bley and Tetzlaff (eds.), op. cit. p. 193.Google Scholar

^{page 297 note 5} See, for example, an interview with Warnke in the Bonner Rundschau, 23 December 1982, in which the Minister outlined his basic views on aid and its relationship to the West German economy.

^{page 298 note 1} Dritter Bericht zur Entwicklungspolitik der Bundesregierung (Bonn, 1977), p. 22.Google Scholar

^{page 298 note 2} The B.M.Z. has published a handbook entitled Deutsche Unternehmen und Entwicklunsländer (Bonn, 1980), which explains all these programmes in lengthy detail to West German businessmen.Google Scholar

^{page 298 note 3} Politik der Partner, p. 121.

^{page 298 note 4} Dritter Bericht zur Entwicklungspolitik der Bundesregierung, p. 20.

^{page 299 note 1} Jahresbericht 1977 (Frankfurt, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, 1977), p. 56.Google Scholar

^{page 299 note 2} For a more comprehensive discussion of these treaties, see Langer, Gerd, Rechtsschutz für Kapitalanlagen in Entwicklungsländern (Baden-Baden, 1973), passim.Google Scholar

^{page 299 note 3} Tetzlaff, loc. cit. p. 57.

^{page 300 note 1} Politik der Partner, p. 121.

^{page 300 note 2} Halbach, Axel, Industrial Redeployment Tendencies and Opportunities in the Federal Republic of Germany (Munich, 1976), p. 26.Google Scholar

^{page 300 note 3} Ibid.

^{page 300 note 4} Politik der Partner, p. 10.

^{page 300 note 5} Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 19 February 1983.

^{page 300 note 6} DEG, Geschäftsbericht, 1978 (Cologne, 1978), p. 2.Google Scholar

^{page 301 note 1} Afrika (Bonn), 10/80, p. 23.Google Scholar

^{page 301 note 2} Afrika: review of German-African Relations (Munich), 02–03 1978.Google Scholar

^{page 301 note 3} Übersee Rundschau, January 1975.

^{page 301 note 4} O'Connor, loc. cit. p. 130.

^{page 301 note 5} DEG, Geschäftsbericht, 1978, p. 21.

^{page 301 note 6} Ibid.1976, p. 28.

^{page 302 note 1} Übersee Rundschau, January 1975.

^{page 302 note 2} DEG, Geschäftsbericht, 1978, p. 26.

^{page 302 note 3} Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 25 March 1981.

^{page 302 note 4} The New York Times, 28 October, special supplement.

^{page 302 note 5} Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 25 February 1981.

^{page 302 note 6} Ibid.

^{page 303 note 1} Politik der Partner, p. 89.

^{page 303 note 2} Afrika, 11/80, p. 20.

^{page 303 note 3} Entwicklungspolitik. Jahresbericht 1979 (Bonn, 1979), p. 21.Google Scholar

^{page 303 note 4} Streeten, Paul, Aid for Africa: a policy outline for the 1970s (New York, 1972), pp. 9–10.Google Scholar

^{page 303 note 5} Entwicklungspolitik. Jahresbericht 1979, p. 21.

^{page 303 note 6} Frankfurter Rundschau, 20 April 1978.

^{page 304 note 1} Stuttgarter Zeitung, 25 September 1982.

^{page 304 note 2} Bodemer, op. cit. p. 292.

^{page 304 note 3} Entwicklungspolitik. Jahresbericht 1979, p. 61.

^{page 304 note 4} In fact, according to the O.E.C.D., the Third World at the end of 1982 owed $625,000 million to banks, governments, and other external lenders in the capitalist world. Of that amount, only 21 per cent are debts to international development institutions, while 79 per cent are owed to private debtors and are thus repayable at ‘hard’ or market conditions. The level of indebtedness has gone up exactly 700 per cent since 1971. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Zurich), 20 12 1982.Google Scholar

^{page 304 note 5} Politik der Partner, p. 125.

^{page 304 note 6} Ibid. pp. 125–36, and Entwicklungspolitik. Jahresbericht 1979, pp. 31–41.

^{page 305 note 1} Entwicklungspolitik. Jahresbericht 1979, p. 21.

^{page 305 note 2} By technical assistance, the Bonn Government means: ‘Training of students, apprentices, experts and development helpers; supply of equipment and materials for purposes of research, education and demonstration; other cooperation such as technical support and consulting services on a contractual basis.’ Dritter Bericht zur Entwicklungspolitik der Bundesregierung, p. 129.

^{page 305 note 3} Hofmeier, loc. cit. pp. 39 and 41.

^{page 305 note 4} Afrika, 10/80, p. 23.

^{page 305 note 5} Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit, 3/1981, p. 28.Google Scholar

^{page 305 note 6} Geschäftsbericht, 1978 (Eschborn, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, 1978), pp. 16–17.Google Scholar

^{page 306 note 1} Entwicklungspolitik. Jahresbericht 1979, p. 9.

^{page 307 note 1} Politik der Partner, p. 36.

^{page 307 note 2} Tetzlaff, loc. cit. p. 53.

^{page 307 note 3} For a more detailed discussion of this, see Schulz, Brigitte H., ‘West Germany's Role in Africa’, in New African Yearbook, 1980 (London, 1980).Google Scholar

^{page 307 note 4} Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 17 March 1981.

^{page 307 note 5} The President of the Federation of German Industries, Wolfgang Seelig, made this estimate at the beginning of 1979, in sharp contrast to the low Bonn figure of DM 576.2 million. Quoted in Neokolonialismus der BRD, p. 119.

^{page 308 note 1} K.B.W., , Der Kampf des Volkes von Azania (Frankfurt, 1978), p. 216.Google Scholar

^{page 308 note 2} Ibid.

^{page 308 note 3} Rode, Reinhard, ‘Bonn und Pretoria: Lerndefizite und Lernerfolge in der Südafrikapolitik der Bundesrepublik’ in Bley and Tetzlaff (eds.), op. cit. pp. 112–13.Google Scholar

^{page 308 note 4} For a detailed account of this co-operation, see Červenka, Zdenek and Rogers, Barbara, The Nuclear Axis: secret collaboration between West Germany and South Africa (London, 1978), passim.Google Scholar

^{page 308 note 5} Rode, , loc. cit. pp. 88–120.Google Scholar

^{page 308 note 6} Der Spiegel, 29 July 1978.

^{page 309 note 1} Paeffgen, Manfred, Das Bild Schwarz-Afrikas in der öffentlichen Meinung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1949–1972 (Munich, 1976), passim.Google Scholar

^{page 309 note 2} Bielenstein, Dieter, Africa – für die Massenmedien ein Krisenherd? (Bonn, 1976), passim.Google Scholar The same author has edited a recent study on the problems of third-world reporting entitled Toward a New World Information Order: consequences for development policy (Bonn, 1980). Both of these publications approach the topic from a liberal, slightly paternalistic perspective.Google Scholar

^{page 309 note 3} On the activities of the G.D.R. in Africa, see, for example, Červenka, Zdenek and Dederichs, Mario, ‘The Two Germanies in Africa’, in Africa Contemporary Record: annual survey and documents, 1978–79 (London, 1979), pp. A92–108;Google ScholarKïhne, Winrich and von Plate, Bernard, ‘Two Germanies in Africa’, in Africa Report (Washington, D.C.), 07–08 1980, pp. 11–15;Google Scholar and ‘Honeckers Afrika-Korps’, in Der Spiegel, 10, 1980, pp. 42–61. All of these pieces are written from an anti-G.D.R. perspective, but they nevertheless convey a picture of the major contacts between the G.D.R. and black liberation in Africa.Google Scholar

^{page 309 note 4} Goldberg, , Judick, , and Rische, , op. cit. p. 97.Google Scholar

^{page 310 note 1} Politik der Partner.

^{page 310 note 2} Ibid.

^{page 310 note 3} Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit ([West] Berlin), 9, 1980, p. 10.Google Scholar

^{page 310 note 4} Ibid. p. 12.

^{page 310 note 5} Tetzlaff, loc. cit. p. 35.

^{page 311 note 1} Ibid. pp. 35–7.

^{page 311 note 2} Wehler, Hans-Ulrich, ‘Industrial Growth and Early German Imperialism’, in Owen and Sutcliffe (eds.), op. cit. p. 83.Google Scholar

^{page 311 note 3} Harry Magdoff, ‘Imperialism without Colonies’, in Ibid. pp. 144–70.

^{page 312 note 1} Zimbabwe Information Group ZIG Bulletin No. 8 (London), 06–08 1978, p. 12.Google Scholar

^{page 312 note 2} Der Spiegel, 9, 1980/2/25/80.Google Scholar

^{page 312 note 3} Falk, Rainer, ‘Zur Entwicklungspolitik der Bundesrepublik’, in Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik (Cologne), 7, 1979, p. 679.Google Scholar

^{page 313 note 1} Schmidt, Helmut, ‘The Alastair Buchan Memorial Lecture’ reprinted in Survival (London), 01–02 1978, pp. 3–7.Google Scholar PubMed

^{page 313 note 2} Magdoff, loc. cit. pp. 147–8.

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Aid or Imperialism? West Germany in Sub-Saharan Africa

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