Analyzes the German role in Central American domestic and international relations Using previously untapped resources including private collections, the records of cultural institutions, and federal and state government archives, Schoonover analyzes the German role in Central American domestic and international relations.Of the four countries most active in independent Central America-Britain, the United States, France, and Germany- historians know the least about the full extent of the involvement of the Germans. German colonial expansion was based on its position as an industrialized state seeking economic well-being and security in a growing world market. German leaders were quick to recognize that ties to the cheap labor of overseas countries could compensate for some of the costs and burdens of conceding material and social privileges to their domestic labor force. The Central American societies possessed limited resource bases; smaller and poorly educated populations; and less capital, communications, and technological development than Germany. They saw the borrowing of development as a key to their social, economic, and political progress. Wary Central American leaders also saw the influx of German industrialists as assurance against excessive U.S. presence in their political economies and cultures. Although the simplistic bargain to trade economic development for cheap labor appeared to succeed in the short term, complex issues of German domestic unemployment and social disorder filtered to Central American countries and added to their own burdens. By 1929, Germany had recovered most of its pre-World War I economic position.

Germany in Central America competitive imperialism, 1821 - 1929

Thomas David Schoonover

Fire Ant Books

United States, United States of America

Pbk ed. 2012, Tuscaloosa, 2012

Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1998

Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-302) and index.

Of The Four Countries Most Active In Independent Central America - Britain, The United States, France, And Germany - Historians Know The Least About The Full Extent Of The Involvement Of The Germans. Germany, However, Played A Crucial Role In Central American History. Germany In Central America Reveals The Stories Of The Institutions That Supported And Organized German Migration, The Immigrants' Continuing Ties With The Homeland, And The Preservation Of Their Culture On Foreign Soil. This Unique Book Traces The Political And Economic Changes In Germany (and To Some Extent Also In Central America) To Serve As Background For Narrating Or Analyzing The Relationship Between Germany And Central American Countries. Schoonover Utilizes Extensive Private And Public Manuscript Material From Central America, Europe, And The United States, Including Private Collections And German Federal And State Government Archives, To Reveal This Relationship Within The Framework Of The Rivalry Of European Powers And The United States. Ch. 1. The Sociopolitical Milieu And Theoretical Heritage Ch. 2. The Central Concern Of The Four Texts: The Art Of Rulership Ch. 3. Guidelines For The Art Of Rulership Ch. 4. The Relationship Of The Ruler To Ministers And To The People Ch. 5. The Balance Between Xing And De, And Between Wen And Wu Ch. 6. Strategies And Tactics The Four Texts Of The Yellow Emperor (original Texts And Complete English Translations With Annotations). 1. The Constancy Of Laws. 2. The Classics. 3. Aphorisms. 4. On Dao The Fundamental. Appendix 1. The Works Relevant To The Yellow Emperor Recorded In Yiwenzhi Appendix 2. A Quantitative Analysis Of The Philosophical/political Contents Of The Four Texts Appendix 3. Parallels Between The Works Of Guanzi And The Four Texts Appendix 4. Parallels Between The Sayings Of Fan Li And The Four Texts Appendix 5. Establishing The Date(s) Of The Four Texts. Thomas Schoonover. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [295]-302) And Index.