ence , ▁B ism ar ck ' s ▁colonial ▁mot ives ▁were ▁obsc ure ▁as ▁he ▁had ▁said ▁repeatedly ▁"...   I ▁am ▁no ▁man ▁for ▁colon ies " ▁and ▁" rem ained ▁as ▁cont empt uous ▁of ▁all ▁colonial ▁dream s ▁as ▁ever ." ▁However , ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 4 ▁he ▁cons ented ▁to ▁the ▁ac quisition ▁of ▁colon ies ▁by ▁the ▁German ▁Empire , ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁protect ▁trade , ▁saf egu ard ▁raw ▁materials ▁and ▁export ▁mark ets ▁and ▁take ▁advantage ▁of ▁opportun ities ▁for ▁capital ▁invest ment , ▁among ▁other ▁reasons . ▁In ▁the ▁very ▁next ▁year ▁B ism ar ck ▁shed ▁personal ▁invol vement ▁when ▁" he ▁abandoned ▁his ▁colonial ▁drive ▁as ▁suddenly ▁and ▁cas ually ▁as ▁he ▁had ▁started ▁it " ▁as ▁if ▁he ▁had ▁committed ▁an ▁error ▁in ▁judgment ▁that ▁could ▁conf use ▁the ▁subst ance ▁of ▁his ▁more ▁significant ▁policies . ▁" Ind eed , ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 9 , ▁[ B ism ar ck ] ▁tried ▁to ▁give ▁German ▁South - West ▁Africa ▁away ▁to ▁the ▁British . ▁It ▁was , ▁he ▁said , ▁a ▁bur den ▁and ▁an ▁exp ense , ▁and ▁he ▁would ▁like ▁to ▁s addle ▁someone ▁else ▁with ▁it ." ▁ ▁Before ▁this , ▁Germ ans ▁had ▁trad itions ▁of ▁foreign ▁sea - bor ne ▁trade ▁d ating ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁Han se atic ▁League ; ▁a ▁tradition ▁of ▁German ▁em igration ▁that ▁existed ▁( east ward ▁in ▁the ▁direction ▁of ▁Russia ▁and ▁Trans ylvan ia