十九世紀末至二十世紀初，新建立的德意志帝國夾著軍事與工業上的優勢，逐漸在世界舞台中所扮演了重要角色。因工業發展而崛起的各列強國家也對當時的國際體系造成了一定程度的影響。德意志帝國在威廉二世的領導下，讓德國在外交政策上採取了不同以往的方向，即所謂的「新路線」（Neuer Kurs）的推動。而在這新路線的規劃當中所著重的是德國的外交政策放遠於海外擴張與殖民政策。亦即要和歐洲列強於世界的版圖中爭取「一席之地」（Platz an der Sonne）。本文主要研究重點於威廉二世1888 年上台後，便開啟了帝國的海外擴張時代。自此以後，也讓俾斯麥多年來苦心經營以歐陸為主的外交政策逐漸轉向海洋發展。此時期德國在其工商業發展的情況下，有條件朝向外交新路線的目標發展。以工業興起與商業貿易的發展來分析，繼而對帝國海外擴張行動的政策做一研究。本文的另一個重點亦談到資本家與中產階級的興起對海外殖民發展的影響，當時在工業化與現代化科學影響下促成許多歐洲國家在海外貿易與殖民的推動。而這些新興的資產階級，對於海外發展上的貢獻與影響為何？相當程度上是否也影響著德國的外交政策與走向。可以肯定的是：工商業的興起下也直接帶動資產階級的出現。因而也在社會中形成一個重要階層並改變了當時的社會結構。這是屬於工業發展與城市興起之下所衍生的一個社會現象。而以商業利益為考量的資本家，在尋求海外商機的目的之下，商人的角色往往也成為國家外交政策在推行上的重要考量因素之一。資本主義的理念在某種程度上畢竟也關係著外交政策。而這是本文所強調的重點，關於資本家對於德國海外政策的態度與影響。在文中將就德國內部的工商業發展和外交政策中做一研究與討論。

The main topic of this thesis is the German industrial development and the relation with oversea colony in 19th Century. The foreign policy was different from the traditional way, which was defined as a ＂Neuer Kurs＂ (new way). This is the most important diplomatic strategy after Bismarck retired. To achieve this mission, the new German empire became a stronger political and economic identity at first. For this basic condition, the empire could devote greater attention to the needs of overseas competition with other countries of the world. On the other side, the German empire had the access to the goal of ＂Neuer Kurs＂, which is the most concise way of defining the ＂Weltpolitik＂ (world policy). The overseas expansion programs tried to lend German’s political and economic progress to its colonial settlement. To conduct the ＂Weltpolitik＂, it was designed to project the German empire’s industrial development, such as military, economic, and political power into the worldwide competition. The fundamental cause of this success to ＂Weltpolitik＂ was the industrial revolution in Germany at the end of the 19th century. For industrial development, the bourgeois, capitalist and working classes became a new social sphere in Germany. The capitalists, especially businessmen and the enterprises’ tycoons, provided dynamic support to Wilhelm II’s new foreign policy. The strategy effectively preserved German dominance in the world, and began to appear outdated in the age of the Neo-Imperialism. That was the normal phenomenon of business trumping politics. It promoted the German empire onto the rank of the Neo-Imperialism. At the end of 19th century in Europe, business and international trade were the common goal of Neo-Imperialism. Neo-Imperialism usually accompanies Capitalism. They try to focus on commercial and national interests. Finally, the industrial and military development brought the empire to the ＂The Great War＂ (World War I). In the author’s opinion, this unambiguous result was the German empire’s inevitable condition.