Earlier German, Earlier Colonialism

WI Germany unites earlier than IOTL - either in 1848 from the revolutions, or 1866 immediately following the Austro-Prussian War. The same pressures and arguments that existed IOTL for Germany to join in the colonial game would still exist under such circumstances, but the field would be much wider. Where would Germany go to plant its flag?
 
Actually, i'm not sure an earlier formed Germany would have too many more colonies, the scramble for africa and other colonization in OTL happened mainly in the 1890s, of course, the colonies they had would probably be completely different, but anyway... By the way , I don't think your posts are uninteresting at all, but people sometimes miss stuff on this board.( I made three posts before anyone noticed at all)
 
1848 certainly means more colonies. Taiwan could be one, Indochina, Korea, Pacific Islands, some parts of Africa. Siam could be another option. Or Ethiopia.

1866 is almost the same as 1871. Maybe one colony more.
 
In all honesty I don't think the German interest in the Pacific will be immediately that great. The Germans only island-hopped because they felt like they had to catch up, so to speak, and most of those colonies didn't exist until the 1890s. I don't even think they were very profitable.

Germany might have a better shot at grabbing more habitable land in Africa rather than swathes of the Kalahari (in Namibia, that is). Maybe they'll be able to push further inland near the Okavango Delta (in Botswana). But really, if the same arguments exist as iOTL, then surely the same issues will exist in that the German government, not the Kaiser, isn't too keen on colonising.

All in all, I can see the Germans grabbing what was iOTL French Congo and ignoring Cameroon completely. By the time the Scramble kicks off when colonial rivalries peak in the late 1880s, the Germans might have better leverage in the Congo region, for instance they might control the mouth of the river.

Edit: As for comments based on 'earlier nationhood means earlier colonialism', I'd have to argue that this statement is false. German would have to spend a few years consolidating its rule and stability as a nation if it unified in 1848. By this time most of the best parts of Asia are taken (India, the Dutch have firmly snagged Indonesia in their sphere). The most in the Far East I can think of for Germany is that perhaps, if they unify in 1848, they may have greater involvement in the intervention wars in China (Boxer Rebellion, Opium Wars, etc.) and much earlier relations with Korea and Japan.
 

Susano

Banned
Well, nitpicking first because some anvils need to be dropped :p : An earlier German unification (or reunification, even, considering the HRE) wouldnt mean "an earlier Germany". Germany already existed before, it was just disunited. If you want an earlier Germany youd need a PoD in the 9th century, not the 19th century ;)

Now, yes, Germany was a bit of a latecomer in the colonial game, but I dont think all too much wouldve changed with an earlier unification. Britain and France after all at that point had had colonies or at least outposts in Africa and the Pacific for centuries, which they used for further expansion (at least in the case of France: Senegal was their jumpboard to securing most of West Africa). An earlier united Germany that actively pursues an aggressive colonial policy from the start would get different results in Africa and the Pacific, and would be possible, but I dont think it would be very probable...
 

Beer

Banned
Hi, wolf-brother! Even an earlier unification in 1848 or 1866 would not mean much more colonies per se. It depends on how successful and expensive these colonies would be. I work on a TL with Germany unified in 1851 as one result of the 1848 Revolution and they don´t pursue colonies not as much since the first 2 were expensive to get running. I researched much for the TL and it is real that OTL circles in Prussia lobbied for buying Hokkaido from Japan! If you want, look at my TL and please comment what you think of it.
Here is the link: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=173667

Bye!
 
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