Part 5/10:
Fast forward to the late 19th century, as Germany unified under Otto von Bismarck. Growing tensions over Helgoland resulted in a strategic negotiation in 1890: the Helgoland-Zanzibar treaty. Britain agreed to surrender Helgoland to Germany in exchange for recognition of its colonial ambitions in East Africa. The loss was both shocking and significant; it marked a rare instance of British forfeiture that resonated deeply within the empire.
Local life on Helgoland continued relatively unchanged under German rule, with cultural and economic activities persisting. However, the island soon found itself entwined in the calamities of World War I, enduring naval skirmishes and emerging as a fortified base for German military operations.