German Railway Imperialism in North China in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries from a Globalization Perspective

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25780220
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Economic history
• Research Institution: Komazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Asada Shinji 駒澤大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (30447312)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: ドイツ / 中国 / 鉄道 / 山東 / 華北 / 植民地主義 / 帝国主義

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study analyzes the German railway enterprises in Shandong, North China, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. From the late nineteenth century, the regional economy of Shandong province was closely connected with the world economy through the export of agricultural products such as straw braid and groundnuts. The Shandong railway of the German capital played a significant role in promoting the global export of those products. At the time, intense competition developed between the Shandong railway and the newly constructed Jinpu railway, and between their export ports Qingdao and Tianjin, for the distribution of Shandong’s agricultural products. This study shows how the Shandong economy changed owing to the competitive situation to an economy easily influenced by the conjuncture of the world economy.

Free Research Field

ドイツ植民地主義、ドイツ・東アジア経済史