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The history of Bremen cannot be told without its ports. As early as 1375, Bremen joins the Hanseatic League, a medieval association of merchants and cities, in which mainly port cities are represented. From the 17th century onwards, global trade flows increase. In the 19th century, world trade takes another leap. Both of these factors are prompting European port cities to expand their port infrastructure. In Bremen, this includes the correction of the Weser River. In this project, the riverbed between Bremen and Bremerhaven will be partially rebuilt. The water depth increases from 2 to 5 meters, thus allowing larger ships to call not only at Bremerhaven but also at Bremen. Today, the eight seaports of Bremen and Bremerhaven form the fourth largest port in Europe. At the same time, the port’s activities favored the establishment of industry: AG Weser was founded in 1872, and Bremer Vulkan in 1893 – they represented the backbone of Bremen’s shipyard industry until it collapsed in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, a diverse food industry is developing that benefits from existing port logistics. Also significant is the founding in 1908 of Norddeutsche Hütte, today’s steelworks. These are some of the key words that are commonly used to tell the story of the city of Bremen. But the narrative conceals the violence involved: behind the expansion of world trade and the profiteers in Bremen, in particular, lies the colonial subjugation of vast regions of the world by European powers. Early on, Bremen imported tobacco, sugar and cotton from North and South America as well as the Caribbean, products that were predominantly cultivated by slaves of African descent. Similar things happen after the colonization of Africa in the second half of the 19th century. Here, too, it is naked violence that forces peasant communities to deliver goods such as cocoa, rubber or coffee to Europe at rock-bottom prices. This shows: Bremen benefited enormously from slavery and colonialism. And even today, countries in the Global South do not achieve adequate prices for their raw materials – also to the advantage of Bremen companies. A locally patriotically charged city and port history is therefore problematic. Instead, global interdependencies should be examined self-critically. This also means making the diverse stories of resistance visible: both those in the countries of origin from which the products are shipped into Bremen ports and the labor struggles in the port, including the participation of shipyard workers in the November Revolution of 1918.
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Literature:
Working group port: Anker points of interconnection. A postcolonial tour through the Überseestadt in Bremen.
Olaf Bernau (2022): Brennpunkt Westafrika. The causes of flight and what Europe should do. Munich: C.H.Beck
Knauf, Diethelm et al. (2014): Die Bremischen Häfen – 1000 Jahre Geschichte (documentary, 59 minutes).
Film
Sebastian Möller (2020): The Ports of Bremen in the Global Political Economy. Research seminar at the University of Bremen (SoSe 2020).