Afghan-German Trading Company

Last updated
Afghan-German Trading Company
Deutsche-Afghanische Companie
Formation1923
Dissolved1929
Headquarters Kabul
Chief local representative
  • Kurt Wagner (1923 - 1924)
  • Ebner (1924 - ?)

The Afghan-German Trading Company (DACOM; German: Deutsche-Afghanische Companie), [1] originally known as the German and Oriental Trade House [2] was a trading company which was established in 1923 [3] by an association of German enterprises, which had its office in Kabul. [1]

History

The Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition, also known as the Kabul Mission, was a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan sent by the Central Powers in 1915–1916. The purpose was to encourage Afghanistan to declare full independence from the British Empire, enter World War I on the side of the Central Powers, and attack British India. One of the German officials involved in the expedition, Kurt Wagner, reached Herat and decided to stay there. [4]

In summer 1923, DACOM was founded by three Germans, including Kurt Wagner of the Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition, geographer Emil Trinkler, and Gotthilf Blaich, a technical consultant. [5] The company was originally called the German and Oriental Trade House (Deutsch-Orientalische Handelsgesellschaft), but the name was changed to DACOM a year later. [5] DACOM operated under a provisional license until July 1925. [5]

In 1924, Ebner succeeded Kurt Wagner as chief local representative of DACOM. [2]

In February 1925, DACOM was reported as doing a "fair amount" of business, acting as brokers for silvers for a new currency, and to have placed orders in Germany for wireless sets, machinery, and electrical materials. [2] At this time, Ebner found himself in conflict with the Afghan government which only permitted him to trade with persons selected by the government. [2]

By 1926, the German trading company had become one of the most successful in the country, second only to the Russian enterprises, and later on, it surpassed even them. [6]

On 15 April 1929, during the Afghan civil war of 1928-29, Habibullāh Kalakāni contacted Muhammad Musa Khan Qandahari, a director of DACOM, and 7 other Qandaharis, requesting them to assassinate Amanullah Khan (who was contesting the Afghan throne), promising them a large reward if they did so. [7]

DACOM was forced out of business due to economic difficulties relating to the 1928-1929 Afghan civil war. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 Adamec, Ludwig W. (2010-04-07). The A to Z of Afghan Wars, Revolutions and Insurgencies. Scarecrow Press. p. 141. ISBN   9780810876248.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Maconachie, R. (1928). A Precis On Afghan Affairs. pp.  162.
  3. ↑ "Embassy of Afghanistan – Berlin » The German-Afghan Relationship" . Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Afghanistan / 1.0 / handbook". 1914-1918-Online (WW1) Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Adamec, Ludwig W. (1974). Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs to the Mid-twentieth Century: Relations with the USSR, Germany, and Britain. University of Arizona Press. pp. 99–101. ISBN   978-0-8165-0388-9.
  6. ↑ Adamec, Ludwig W. (2010-04-07). The A to Z of Afghan Wars, Revolutions and Insurgencies. Scarecrow Press. p. 141. ISBN   978-1-4617-3189-4.
  7. ↑ Muḥammad, Fayz̤; McChesney, R. D. (1999). Kabul under siege: Fayz Muhammad's account of the 1929 Uprising. Markus Wiener Publishers. p. 99. ISBN   9781558761544.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.