The German colonial empire was the first of the European overseas empires of modern times to be dissolved. From 1919, German politics and society had to adjust to a world order that continued to be dominated by rival European global powers. This had a direct impact on German foreign policy, trade and consumption, as well as on science and culture; it also shaped the self-image of German society and its conceptions of the world. Currently, the German public is engaged in a heated debate about how German colonialism can and should be remembered without superseding the memory of the Nazi dictatorship and the Shoah. In this presentation, Professor Metzler will explore recent reinterpretations of German empire, and how the broader legacy of German colonialism is understood today.