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France and Germany in the South China Sea, c. 1840-1930

Maritime competition and Imperial Power

  • Book
  • © 2021

Overview

Authors:
  1. Bert Becker

    1. Department of History, School of Humanities, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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  • Explores the relationship between French and German commercial competition, collaboration and imperial interests in the South China Sea
  • Offers an in-depth archival study of the Tonkin Shipping Company, an affiliate of the French company Marty et d’Abbadie, and its main competitor, the German M. Jebsen Shipping Company
  • Investigates the connections between French and German policymakers, European ship owners, Vietnamese sailors and Chinese merchants, against the backdrop of imperial Germany’s rising industrial power

Part of the book series: Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies (CIPCSS)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
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  2. Introduction

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 1-13

  3. The South China Sea in History

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 15-46

  4. Hong Kong

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 47-121

  5. Saigon

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 123-234

  6. Haiphong

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 235-384

  7. Guangzhouwan

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 385-445

  8. Conclusion

    • Bert Becker
    Pages 447-467

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 469-484
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Keywords

About this book

This book explores imperial power and the transnational encounters of shipowners and merchants in the South China Sea from 1840 to 1930. With British Hong Kong and French Indochina on its northern and western shores, the ‘Asian Mediterranean’ was for almost a century a crucible of power and an axis of economic struggle for coastal shipping companies from various nations. Merchant steamers shipped cargoes and passengers between ports of the region. Hong Kong, the global port city, and the colonial ports of Saigon and Haiphong developed into major hubs for the flow of goods and people, while Guangzhouwan survived as an almost forgotten outpost of Indochina. While previous research in this field has largely remained within the confines of colonial history, this book uses the examples of French and German companies operating in the South China Sea to demonstrate the extent to which transnational actors and business networks interacted with imperial power and the process of globalisation.

Reviews

“Becker’s analysis is well documented. Each chapter includes an extensive bibliography and detailed references to archival sources. … At the macro level, this book is a careful and detailed assessment of ‘open economy growth’ based on the development of intensive trade links between Europe and Indochina … . It also explores the commercial and maritime consequences … Asian ventures. At the micro level, it convincingly emphasizes the role of French and German merchants and companies in this ‘great powers’ competition.” (Hubert Bonin, EH Net, eh.net, July, 2022)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of History, School of Humanities, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Bert Becker

About the author

Bert Becker is Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Hong Kong. He has written prize-winning biographies on Georg Michaelis, the German chancellor of 1917, and Michael Jebsen, shipowner and politician in Imperial Germany. His research interests include the maritime and business histories of Hong Kong, China and Vietnam

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: France and Germany in the South China Sea, c. 1840-1930

  • Book Subtitle: Maritime competition and Imperial Power

  • Authors: Bert Becker

  • Series Title: Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52604-7

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-52603-0Published: 03 July 2021

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-52606-1Published: 03 July 2022

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-52604-7Published: 02 July 2021

  • Series ISSN: 2635-1633

  • Series E-ISSN: 2635-1641

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XV, 484

  • Number of Illustrations: 10 b/w illustrations, 6 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Imperialism and Colonialism, History of Southeast Asia, World History, Global and Transnational History, Economic History

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