New Guinea under the Germans

de Stewart Firth, Stewart Firth

Description of the cover This is the first general history of German rule in New Guinea. It tells why Germany annexed north‑east New Guinea and some adjacent islands in 1884, and why, throughout the three decades until an Australian expeditionary force ended their sovereignty, the Germans were determined to make their colony pay. Tens of thousands of New Guinean, Chinese and Javanese labourers perished on plantations; many coastal villages were shelled by German naval vessels or invaded by police on punitive expeditions; disobedient workers were flogged and rebellious villagers were hanged or shot by firing squads. In describing these events, the author leaves no doubt that the German régime was much harsher than its British and Australian counterparts in south‑east New Guinea. But, at the same time, the Germans did more to bring Western health services and education to the islanders; they made a much more significant contribution to scientific knowledge of the area; and the rate of their economic development was not equalled under Australian rule until the 1950s. The islanders, as amply documented in this book, were far from passive participants in all this. Many of them welcomed the Germans as allies against traditional enemies and as sources of coveted Western wealth. This book offers a picture of colonial rule as both a system of exploitation and a mutually beneficial relationship between particular New Guinean communities and the Germans. Based on extensive archival research into government, commercial and mission records in East and West Germany, Papua New Guinea and Australia, New Guinea under the Germans is a valuable contribution to the history of German colonialism and, especially, to the history of Papua New Guinea.