German settlers without settler colonies (with illustrations): Rachel O’Sullivan, ‘Entangled Narratives of Colonialism: Promoting Overseas and Continental Expansion in Nazi Germany’, Copernico, 2025 | settler colonial studies blog

German settlers without settler colonies (with illustrations): Rachel O’Sullivan, ‘Entangled Narratives of Colonialism: Promoting Overseas and Continental Expansion in Nazi Germany’, Copernico, 2025

19Dec25

Excerpt: Nazi Germany’s eastern expansion has meant the Nazi goal of Lebensraum (living space) is often solely associated with Eastern Europe. However, the justifications for claiming overseas colonies by colonial enthusiasts during the Third Reich were often strikingly similar to the narratives of those who supported eastern expansion. Although Nazi Germany is heavily associated with its eastern expansion during the Second World War, many groups did not abandon the fantasy of reestablishing a German empire in Africa, even after the National Socialists came to power with their clearly eastwardorientated ideology in 1933. In fact, from as early as 1934, Nazi state institutions, such as the “Kolonialpolitisches Amt der NSDAP” (NSDAP Office of Colonial Policy, KPA) under the leadership of war veteran Franz Ritter von Epp, officially planned for an eventual German return to Africa after the war. Meanwhile, colonial enthusiasts throughout Germany were eagerly producing material such as books and leaflets, attended specialized schools and organized events which promoted German overseas expansion. Such colonial enthusiasts were often members of the “Reichskolonialbund” (Reich Colonial League, RKB), also under the leadership of Epp, which was formed in 1933 when the “Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft” (German Colonial Society, founded in 1887) merged with other smaller organizations. While the KPA undertook all official planning for the future reclamation of the German colonies in Africa, the RKB raised awareness and educated the public on colonial matters.

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