British Foreign Policy 1878-1914

British Foreign Policy 1878-1914 (a) Explain Briefly why Britain entered into an conglutination with japan in 1902.

Firstly, Britain held a policy of splendid isolation. Their prime care abroad was India, The jewel in the crown. The route from Britain to India depended on a strong navy. Britains navy was supreme and, with no rivals in Europe, Britain matt-up that there was no need to pay oversight to European affairs. Joseph Chamberlain proclaimed: If the worst comes to the worst, we could hold out, as our ancestors did, against the safe and sound of them. Britain soon had m all worries though. At this time Britain was not on friendly terms with Russia, France or Ger some(prenominal). She had growing apprehensions about an increase Russian influence in the Far East, as vigorous as the French advances in West Africa and the developing marine strength of Germany. However there was a widespread touch sensation of hostility to warfared Britain following the Boer War, and finding an retainer proved difficult.

lacquer though, seemed like an ideal ally for a number of reasons. Russian interference in northern chinaware and her seizure of sort Arthur in 1887 seemed directed against lacquers influence in Korea. So, both Japan and Britain found common interest in containing Russia, as wizard of Britains main concerns was the threat posed by French and Russian naval power in the Far East. Japan was strategically placed to ease the strain on the British Navy. both(prenominal) Japan and Britain had considerable financial, political and industrial investments in China too.

This was a fundamental treaty as it demonstrated Britains pass from her long held policy of splendid isolation from international treaties. As a result of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, China suffered economically and also doomed territory to Japan. They also became very cautious of both Japan and Britain and signed an agreement with Germany to feel more secure.

(b) To what extent was the organization of alliances and ententes responsible for Britain entranceway the First earth War? To severalise that the outbreak of World War I was entirely overdue to the entente and Alliance systems would be harsh. at that place were undoubtedly former(a) factors which added to the likeliness of war.

The Entente system consisted of Great Britain, France and Russia. Britain and France put their differences aside, and Russia, an ally of France and a potential enemy of Britain, helped to bind the countries together. The Entente was unite through each countries opposition to Germany. The manifold Entente was save an informal grouping when first formed, but between 1912 and 1914, it became an telling diplomatic combination. Effectively though, Britains only ally was Japan because the Entente was only an agreement and held no obligation. In this respect, Britain were still retaining a forgetful of their isolationism.

The Triple Alliance was formed between Germany, Austria and Italy in 1882. It was ab initio a pact to offset the power of Russia and France. In the end, the chastening of Italy to stand by this alliance, leading to her suitual declaration of war on Austria on 23rd May 1915, was a significant factor in the detailual victory of England and France in 1918.

There was inevitably a huge rivalry between the ii systems, and a great amount of this rivalry was founded on paranoia and misconception. Geographically, it is behind to see why the Triple Alliance may withdraw become paranoid. The Triple Entente surrounded the Alliance. In the event of war, this would leave Germany fighting a war on both fronts, almost a tactical impossibility.

On a private level, I believe that the alliances were practically a bad idea. all(prenominal) one based their strategy on the occurrence of violation by the separate. Both systems took a purely defensive character reference and canceled each other out, so to speak.

However, it could also be argued that Germany were the keenest of any of any country in Europe to go to war. She felt that she had had much to prove, and was the strongest country in Europe in many senses. She had the largest industry and therefore could produce masses of military equipment and ammunitions. Her navy was developing rapidly too.

Britain entered the war due to a series of complex events. Some of these events were orthogonal to the Entente and Alliance systems. So it would seem that the systems werent entirely responsible for Britains entering the war.

The first event in the sequence leading to the outbreak of war was the black lotion of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand. Gavrilo Princip, an 18 year old member of the Black arrive at terrorist movement of Serbia, shot the Arch-Duke from point blank range. Austria Hungary then created an ultimatum with 10 requested points. The Serbs agreed to 9 of the points but Austria refused and declare war on Serbia. They believed that the government paid for the assassination but had no evidence.

This was, in my view, was an act of carelessness, and ultimately it led to the outbreak of World War I. The declaration of war on Serbia brought in a fellow Slav country, Russia. Russia didnt declare war on Austria-Hungary as such, they made preparations by mobilizing their troops. Germany though, saw this as an offensive act, and declared war on Russia. To avoid a war on two fronts, Germany attacked quickly through Belgium and into Northern France.

Britain were now left wing facing a difficult dilemma. They had signed a treaty with Belgium in the early 19th century and were obliged to harbor Belgiums neutrality. It was a matter of pride, and Britain declared war on Germany. By August 1918 all the countries from opposite alliances were facing each other in war, except Italy.

In conclusion, I believe that the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance systems were partly responsible for Britain entering the war. However, They were not the only reasons. As we have seen, there were external factors which led to the outbreak of war. Ultimately, Britain were faced with a difficult plaza and could not avoid going to war.

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